Diet and Nutrition

Independence Day

The fourth of July is by far one of my favorite holidays. A chance to celebrate our countries’ independence, and honor those who have fought to preserve our freedom. Tomorrow I will be faced with my own fight, how to maintain healthy eating habits and still enjoy a holiday that is commonly celebrated by consuming barbecued foods and alcoholic beverages. In the past I have consumed exorbitant amounts of barbecued and fried foods, you might say overindulging was a fourth of July tradition of mine.buckingham fountain

This Fourth of July however will be quite different; I’ve already planned out my Independence Day meal and am happy to say that it is free of many of the unhealthy foods of years past. Instead of potato chips and dip, I am planning on packing up some fresh cut veggies accompanied by some Galeos Caesar Salad dressing as my dip. This change in snack food should satisfy my desire for the crunchy texture of potato chips and also provide me with a healthy dip alternative.

Now on to the main course. You can’t celebrate the fourth without eating something off the grill, my plan is to grill up a chicken breast seasoned with some olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary, and pepper. I will pair up my grilled chicken breast with some corn on the cob, minus the butter and salt, and some grilled asparagus marinated in balsamic vinegar.

Last, but not least, dessert- a parfait which will consist of fresh strawberries and blueberries, granola, Fage yogurt, which I will lightly sweeten with Xylitol, an all-natural sweetener that you can find at any Whole Foods and or health food market.

As for beverages I will be sticking with water most of the night. However, I will allow myself to have one light beer as I sit back and enjoy the glow of fireworks and celebrate my victory over food dependence!

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Bernie

High Gas Prices Good For Weight Loss

While rising gas prices is generally seen as a negative thing, there are a few good side effects associated with it is as well. Firstly, it helps ween people off of gas guzzling vehicles. But another one is much more surprising: thinner waistlines.

Gas pumping

The expense of filling up at the pump has gotten to the point where people are opting to walk or ride a bike, and hence, losing weight. Bike shops across the United States are reporting record sales, and Britain is even promoting a national “Bike Week” to encourage commuters to pedal to the office.

According to research by Charles Courtemanche of Washington University in St. Louis, for every dollar increase in the average real price of gas, overweight and obesity levels in the United States will decline by 16 percent after seven years.

Looking in the rear-view, Courtemanche’s study also attributes the expansion of American waistlines between 1979 and 2004 in part to falling gas prices. Similar research published in the European Journal of Public Health found that European countries with higher gasoline prices tend to have lower rates of obesity.

The economic impact also has us eating out less, which is bound to positively affect people’s waistlines.

If there are any initiatives in your community like the Bike Week in the U.K. – let Diets In Review know in the comments! Tell us how you’re staying active and saving money at the pump.

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Jason

Wordless Wednesday: Food Pyramid

food pyramid

Is the USDA Food Pyramid a healthy plan?

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Natalie K

Food Find: La Cense Beef

In my recent quest to shape up the way we eat at home, I’ve pretty much cut-out red meat from our diet. Once in a great while I get an unquenchable craving for a big ‘ole grilled hamburger, or I’ll nibble on a few bites of someone’s steak at a cook-out, but it doesn’t take long for me to regret it. I don’t know any better way to describe it than to say I just feel icky inside after I’ve eaten beef- I can taste and almost feel the grease in my body.

la cense beefUntil last night. All of my Food Finds are always healthy, unexpected finds I’ve made myself at the grocery store. I’ll be honest, this company contacted me and offered to send the product to taste. I was skeptical because it’s a mail-order beef company, and my aforementioned feelings about beef. As I learned more about the La Cense Beef company, I was anxious to try it, and for nothing less, my husband would be thrilled to throw a burger on the grill again.

I would tell if you if I didn’t like it- but it was quite possibly the best hamburger I’ve ever had. La Cense Beef is raised on the range in Montana and has a laundry list of admirable qualities like:
– Antibiotic-free cattle
– Hormone-free cattle
– Grass-fed, not grain-fed, which influences a cleaner, more natural taste in the beef
– No pesticides (more…)

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Natalie K

Guest Blog: Optimal Health Defined

It’s a pleasure to introduce our guest blogger, Dr. Wayne Andersen. He is a board certifiedwayne andersen critical care physician, the Medical Director of Medifast and the chief architect of Take Shape for Life. His book, Habits of Health (releasing this summer), provides the knowledge and support needed to achieve optimal health. Through his book and accompanying workbook, Dr. Andersen provides a road map for people to choose a better life. You can see Dr. Andersen here at DietsInReview.com every Tuesday during July!

I have spent the last few years determining the definition of optimal health. Optimal health is defined as: “Being the best you can be with what you got.” Optimal health is different for everyone. About 5% of the population has achieved optimal health, and the rest of us are in between being sick and obtaining optimal health. Sleep, weight, eating right and stress are just a few of the components to optimal health, and Habits of Health offers a great assessment to determine where you are.

Most of us are born optimally healthy and then we let life attack us. We fall into a pattern of putting other things before health, which leads to less movement, less sleep and a little extra weight gain. Then we find ourselves saying, “I’m doing okay,” but we really are not healthy.

There is no such thing as a straight line. If you are not actively creating health, then you are heading toward a path of sickness and disease. Just as life is about choices, so is optimal health. It is a path we can choose to embark upon, and it’s all about making daily choices that support optimal health. Sure, we may not be able to do the same things at 80 years old compared to when we were 20, but we are able; you are able.

So many people who are in their 40s-70s are taking medications and think they need to be on them for the rest of their lives. When I ask doctors the last time they lowered or eliminated a medication for a patient, I often received a blank stare. An increase in dosages or adding medications is not always the answer to taking care of symptoms and treating disease. People want to live longer, and there is no pill to make you live longer.

Weight loss is just the first step on the journey towards optimal health. Recreate health in your life. Start having fun, enjoy life and make good daily decisions. There has never been a better time to thrive in this country than now.

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Natalie K

Germany’s Obesity Battle

For many of us, it’s the land of beer, strudels and schnitzel (usually breaded and fried veal). Maybe the rich food and Oktoberfests are catching up with Germans.

Germany is looking to reverse the country’s obesity problems with a massive government initiative. The program will cost almost 50 million and includes:
Oktoberfest
– Education on healthy eating and sports
– Tougher standards for school lunches
– Voluntary measures for the sweets industry to stop targeting children under 12 with advertising
– Clothing companies to stop using “anorexic” models
– Computer game manufacturers are being encouraged to develop products that make players move about

There’s political opposition from people who believe it will just create a bureaucratic mess.

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Jason

Guest Blog: Veggie Breakfast Bircher Muesli

We’re pleased to have with us again Monica Shaw, a freelance writer who specializes in science, health, fitness and food. She is the primary author of the website and blog, SmarterFitter.com.

In my last post I discussed some of the staples of the vegetarian diet. Today I delve deeper into the bowl of oatmeal and get into the specifics of breakfast, the most important meal of the day! It’s true, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.bircher muesli

Maximillian Bircher-Benner was a Swiss doctor who used natural (and mostly raw) food to treat patients at his sanitarium in Zurich. Bircher believed that a healthy life depended on one’s harmony with nature. He also believed in breakfast.

In 1900, Bircher invented the now famous “muesli cereal”. His original recipe is vastly different from the sugar-coated, toasted muesli we typically find in the grocery store today. Instead, Bircher combined soaked oats, fruit and nuts with grated apple and lemon juice to create a naturally sweet breakfast cereal designed to energize and heal the body.

The following recipe is my daily go-to breakfast, but feel free to experiment with different combinations of fruit and nuts. Bircher Muesli is stunning with natural yogurt and honey, but it’s also good plain or topped with fresh fruit. It’s also great on the road. Whether you’re traveling to work from the gym or a to a campsite in the backwoods, a big bowl of muesli packs well into a waterproof container and requires no heating or cooking.

Bircher Muesli Recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients:

85 grams jumbo oats
5 grams flax seeds
10 grams sliced almonds
2 apricots, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 apple, grated
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Soak the oats, flax seeds, almonds and apricots in just enough water to cover for 12 hours.
Blend the soaked stuff with everything else (or mix in the grated apple by hand for a chunkier texture).
Serve with toppings such as fresh fruit, kefir, nut milk or raw honey.

You can find more of Monica’s vegetarian recipes at SmarterFitter.com.

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Natalie K

Wordless Wednesday: School Lunch

school lunch

Fight for healthier school lunches.

Posted on June 25, 2024 by Natalie K

Food Fight: Pasta vs. Pasta

food fight

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the very first DietsInReview.com Food Fight. You won’t get messy, but you will be a little more informed. Every two weeks (alternating with Food Finds), we’ll present a food match-up: two similar foods, both claiming to be the healthiest option, will go head-to-head in our nutritional ring to find out which prevails as the best. We’re looking at a three-round match: Nutrition Facts, Taste and Ingredients, Cost and Accessibility. So, let’s get started.

Our first Food Fight is between Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta (FG) and Barilla Plus (BP) pasta.

fiber gourmet pasta barilla pasta

FIGHTER NOTES
Fiber Gourmet says it is “the world’s first ‘light’ or reduced-calorie pasta with 40% fewer calories. It has been engineered to taste like “regular” pasta, but offer more nutritional value.

Barilla Plus is a multigrain pasta, endorsed as part of the Bob Greene Bestlife diet. It offers a good source of protein and ALA Omega-3.

ROUND 1: Nutrition Facts
Serving size, printed on the package, based on 2oz. of uncooked pasta.
Calories: FG = 130, BP = 210
Fat: FG = 1g, BP = 2g
Sodium: FG = 120mg, BP = 25mg
Total Carbs: FG = 42g, BP = 38g
Dietary Fiber: FG = 20g, BP = 4g
WW Points: FG = 2, BP = 4

Fiber Gourmet seems to lead the round, based on having significantly less calories, more fiber and less fat than its competitor. The near 100mg more of sodium found in FG is definitely cause for concern. Barilla Plus does have calcium and more iron, where the FG does not.

fiber gourmet pasta

ROUND 2: Taste and Ingredients
This is a tough round because each person’s personal preference will vary. I only eat whole grain pasta, and often the Barilla. I’ve grown accustomed to the taste. The Fiber Gourmet was definitely the right pasta for someone who enjoys that “traditional” starchy white pasta taste. It did seem a bit pasty to me, but firm and when blended with sauce was not too bad. The Barilla has a taste that does vary from the “traditional” pasta, but not so much that its a turn off. It’s not grainy and actually has a lot of flavor, it also cooks to a perfect al dente stage and tastes great no matter what it is in.

FG only comes in a fettucini-style noodle, but in flavors like whole wheat, classic, spinach and tomato. BP only comes in its regular multigrain pasta, but in six noodle styles.

As for ingredients, both have great lists that don’t call out any concerning items. Both have semolina, niacin, iron, riboflavin and folic acid. The FG has modified wheat starch and wheat gluten, while the BP has a grain and legume blend with lentils, chickpeas, egg whites, barley, flaxseed, oats and a few other items.

This round goes to Barilla Plus.

ROUND 3: Cost and Accessibility
Fiber Gourmet is available in 23 states in a variety of health food and chain grocery stores. Individual bags in store will vary, but cost about $3.00 for an 8oz. package. Their site lists each store in which you’ll find it. It’s also available for purchase online in bulk for prices ranging from $18.49 to $44.99.

Barilla Plus is sold in major and private grocery chains across the U.S. and the site lets you search availability by ZIP code. 14.5oz. packages sell for about $3.00 each. Online retailers like Amazon have it available in two-packs for $6.00.

This round goes to Barilla Plus.

barilla plus pasta

POST-MATCH COMMENTARY
There is no doubt that Fiber Gourmet is a quality product- especially for those looking for a traditional white pasta flavor, with healthier nutritional value. However, due to taste, its wholesome ingredients and greater accessibility, we deem Barilla Plus the winner of the Food Fight: Pasta.

Posted on June 24, 2024 by Natalie K

Three Diet Review

Still trying to decide which diet is most appropriate for you? See our guest blog at Dietivity.com, to learn more about Weight Watchers, NutriSystem and South Beach Diet.

Posted on June 24, 2024 by Natalie K

Guest Blog: Is Kellogg’s Special K20 a Good Idea?

Tanya Wilson authors and researches health related topics for dietivity.com. You can view her profile on elance.com or visit her informal page on squidoo.com.

Wow, Kellogg’s Special K2O protein water, yet another product that we can drink to help us lose weight. Manufacturers must think we don’t like to chew our food!

Sarcasm aside, the concept of protein being used to curb appetite is nothing new; just ask those who have found success with diets like Atkins. It’s actually the science that has had to catch up with the experience of dieters who will swear that high-protein and low-carb is the way to go. But do you have to throw out all that yummy flour-based goodness and go carnivore? Must you sacrifice the serotonin boost of carbohydrates and deal with nasty side effects of some high protein diets? Absolutely not! Science is now proving that protein does indeed curb appetite, but that this phenomenon is more of a useful tool for dieters, rather than a radical all-or-nothing lifestyle change. What’s more, manufacturers like Kellogg’s, are now giving us lots of ways to apply this tool in a safe and healthy manner to our weight loss plans.

In a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, participants were put on a series of three diets. The first two weeks’ diet was 15% protein, 35% fat, and 50% carbohydrate. The second two weeks’ diet plan consisted of 30% protein, 20% fat, and 50% carbohydrate. Dieters had to eat all the food served to them. Then, for the third round, the diet plan remained at 30% protein, 20% fat, and 50% carbohydrate (like the second two weeks), but this time, participants were allowed to eat as much or as little as they wanted. The end result was that on the third round, when participants could eat to their hearts’ content, they didn’t eat as much. That’s because with the higher protein content they reported greater satiety. This led to lower caloric intake, and hence significant weight loss. They not only lost weight, but also felt full! Notice, the subjects still consumed carbs (50%) as they did in the low protein diet. The difference was that the fats were replaced by lean protein.

special k challenge

So, what this means is that instead of reaching for something “fattening” like chips to snack on, reach for a small bowl of low-fat cottage cheese, or yogurt. Or instead of sugary soda or juice, have a glass of skim milk. Products such as Kellogg’s K2O mentioned earlier or protein bars, add easy protein rich nutrition to your daily dieting arsenal. They come in a slew of varieties. Whether you’re in the mood to eat or drink, or want something sweet or salty, you can find something that satisfies.

You can download her report: Staying Hydrated: Sports Drinks vs. Water, which is best for YOU? Brand new, hot topic and it’s free. You may brand the report with your own 2 links for your website visitors.

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Natalie K