Diet and Nutrition

Meet the Future of Meat…

Is the idea of meat grown in giant tanks known as “bioreactors” a good thing for mankind? On the surface, you would think “NO!” Don’t mess with Mother Nature, right? But wait just one minute all you do-gooders… there may just be a little method to this madness.

The Norwegians are at it again… this time they are trying to save the planet from the environmental perils that come with raising farm animals for human consumption. There’s the methane that cattle emit. Not to mention all the carbon-producing resources that go into raising them.

Scientists are working on various procedures to cultivate meat in a lab, and while filet mignon is not considered a near-term possibility, hamburger sure is. The main benefits of such eye-raising scientific inquiry is that if you’re cultivating meat in the lab, you cut out all the environmentally-damaging procedures to get that juicy burger on your plate.

I, for one, still have reservations about eating meat grown in laboratories, but who knows… it may be the only choice for carnivores someday. Here’s more on the fascinating research.

Posted on April 21, 2024 by Jason

Go Green With Your Diet

Watch as Annie Bell Muzaurieta speaks with Matt Lauer about helping the environment by going green with your diet. Learn some simple easy tricks that not only help the environment but also help you increase your healthy food intake. Annie is the food editor at thedailygreen.com.




Posted on April 21, 2024 by Jimmy C

Those pesky 10 pounds. . . .

Three years ago this month I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. I was a prime candidate — overweight, diabetes runs in my family (my mother died of complications) and as far as I’m concerned, exercise is two four-letter words. After all the tests I went through to get to the final diabetes diagnosis, it was actually a relief to hear that it was a disease that could be managed with lifestyle changes. And yes, my lifestyle has changed.

I lost over 30 lbs, exercise by walking three – four times a week and have drastically changed my eating habits.

But over the last year a few of those pounds started creeping back on, not bad, but enough to make me decide it’s time to kick it up a level. So when earlier this month my blood work tests all came back with a “great” from the doctor, I decided to get to work on those five pounds, plus a few more that should come off, before this weight creep starts affecting my blood sugar levels.

Knowing our life style, a meal based diet appears to be the best choice. Now to figure out what one would work best for us. My husband decided he could lose a few pounds too, so we’ll be tackling the weight loss together! The three diet plan finalists were Jenny Craig, NutriSystem and The Biggest Loser. All three plans had pros and cons, it took some time and a few phone calls to figure out the best balance.

Stay tuned for what I picked and how I came to my decision!

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Barb

Faces of anorexia

In the recent issue of People magazine, Chloe Lattanzi, the young daughter of actress and singer Olivia Newton-John came public with her recent battle with anorexia. She is quite frank about how awful and debilitating this disease was, and still is, for her. But she is relying on the support of those around her and her burgeoning music career as a way to heal. She was also a contestant on the talent reality TV show, Rock the Cradle.

Once again, we see a figure in the media who seems to have it all, but becomes too immersed in and obsessed with some unhealthy lifestyle or behavior that leaves them fighting for their health, both mental and physical.

Chloe admits to being far from fully recovered, but as any addiction goes, no one ever fully recovers. It’s a day-to-day process. And to deal with her disease and recovery in the public spotlight can’t be easy.

From Mary-Kate Olsen to your teen-aged daughter’s friend, anorexia is a gripping disease. It’s a veritable prison for someone who is in the throes of it. As someone who has battled with restricted eating patterns, Chloe’s story was very familiar to me. And our story is similar to thousands of other women (and men) in this country and throughout the developed world where eating disorders are prevalent and devastating to the sufferer and those around her (or him).

If you have a story to share, we’d love to hear from you. We encourage you to seek the help of your doctor, family and friends if you find yourself battling an eating disorder.

Posted on April 18, 2024 by heather

Biggest Loser Meal Plan

This season, Biggest Loser introduced its own meal delivery program. Meal delivery from Medifast, NutriSystem and dozens of other large and small companies have been a popular method of weight loss for years.  It’s now one more way you can gain the benefits of Biggest Loser insight in your home to positively effect your own weight loss efforts.

Partnering with long-standing and popular meal delivery service, Bistro M.D., the Biggest Loser Meal Plan offers a delicious variety of meals, controlled portions with reduced calories, fat and sugar. Just like Bistro M.D. meals, the menu is created by gourmet chefs and a team of doctors and nutritionists. In the case of the Biggest Loser Meal Plan, the show’s doctors influenced the diet to resemble that of the contestants.

In Episode 15 of the Biggest Loser, Mark Kruger won the final challenge and in so doing, won a free Biggest Loser Meal Plan service.  I asked Mark about it and he had this to say-

“It has a direct effect on my positive weight loss! Without BistroMD.com I could not have achieved the weight loss at home that I have. This plan is part of my success!” That is the truth never mind the fact that it is all incredibly tasty and well put together. I love the fact that the nutrition information is with the package and easy to read. Because of that I know exactly where my calories are with every meal. That makes calorie watching very easy and convenient I love this plan and it will be part of my life maintenance plan and weight control life style. I love BistroMD.com and would recommend it to everyone who is serious about a life style change.”

Learn more with the Biggest Loser Meal Plan review, or you can start right now. This would be a great compliment to those members of the Biggest Loser Club.

Posted on April 17, 2024 by Natalie K

Jillian Michaels trains the Biggest Loser winner

Once again, Jillian Michaels produced not only the Biggest Loser, Ali Vincent, she also produced the at-home Biggest Loser, Bernie. Training partner Bob Harper has said she’s possibly the best trainer in the world. At a petite 5’2″ and 115 pounds, she says her training with Ali consisted of “Beatings, Beatings, Beatings.”

Watch the DietsInReview.com interview with Jillian to see her reaction to Ali’s win as the first female Biggest Loser and what she lost to Ali in their bet.



Jillian Michaels – Black Team Trainer from Diets in Review on Vimeo.

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Natalie K

Congrats to Biggest Loser’s First Female Winner- Ali Vincent!

See Ali’s reaction to winning immediately following the Biggest Loser finale with the DietsInReview.com interview live from LA.



Ali Vincent – Winner of Season 5 Biggest Loser from Diets in Review on Vimeo.
She did it! Ali Vincent told everyone in week 4 during her elimination with mom, Bette-Sue, that she would be the Biggest Loser. At the time, she meant the at-home winner, not knowing of a twist that would invite all the eliminated players back to the ranch. She won that weigh-in, and all weigh-ins since, and earned a spot back at the Biggest Loser ranch.Ali had two goals when she started Biggest Loser- to wear sleeveless shirts and to become the first female Biggest Loser. With unprecedented determination and hard work, Ali can mark off both of these from her to-do list. When host Alison informed Ali that she only needed to lose 106 pounds to beat the weight-loss giant Roger, the crowd went nuts inside that studio. If you’ll remember, Ali’s last weigh-in at the ranch was 99 pounds- meaning she had to lose only six pounds in the three weeks at home. One look at her in that knock-out dress, and everyone in there knew she owned that weigh in. Trainer Bob Harper was heard saying that as soon as she walked out onto the stage, he knew she had won. She lost a total of 112 pounds.Ali’s win is not only a major life-changing accomplishment for herself, but for women everywhere. A girl did it. She beat some very big boys. She serves as an inspiration to women everywhere that nothing can stand in your way. Ali continually said last night “Believe It, Be It.” It’s a mantra I expect to hear flying out of the mouth of women.

Ali Vincent Biggest Loer

Her trainer, Jillian Michaels, was over the moon with joy at Ali’s amazing win. She screamed “It’s a Girl!” And while there won’t be any cigars, she assured they would celebrate with carrots and champagne! Bette-Sue, Ali’s mother and Biggest Loser teammate, looked as proud as a mother could. With a beaming smile, she boasted “I made her!”

Congratulations Ali on such a tremendous accomplishment. Like you said last night, you might be the first female Biggest Loser, but thanks to you, there will be so many more.

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Natalie K

Congratulations Bernie! Biggest Loser’s at-home winner.

We were thrilled to be there last night to see Bernie win the Biggest Loser at-home winner. Bernie was never one of the big guys in the house, but beat the odds by losing more weight than Curtis, Dan and final four contestant Mark. He lost 130 pounds to lose the highest percentage of weight in the house and he’ll be taking home $100,000.



Bernie Salazar – Biggest Loser at home winner from Diets in Review on Vimeo.

He told DietsInReview.com after his elimination that he planned to use that money to help his mom repair her badly damaged basement due to three floods in Indiana this past year. Last night, he kept to his word and assured that will be the first thing he does.We had the pleasure of meeting Bernie’s entire family and they are truly some of the kindest and funniest people. Bernie is blessed with an amazing family and they certainly have a lot to be proud of in him.

Best of luck to your Bernie, Biggest Loser at-home!

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Natalie K

Potassium and blood pressure

Did you know that consuming too little of the electrolyte potassium can actually increase your blood pressure and your chances of having a stroke? And increasing it might help some to reduce the amount of blood pressure medication they are taking. This latest news is according to the Harvard Medical School. Foods that are high in potassium are meat, fish, poultry, bananas, apricots, honeydew melon, avocado, spinach and a host of others.

Most of us get adequate levels of potassium in our diet, but for those who exercise and sweat a lot and for those who follow a very restricted diet with few calories, they should be very aware of consuming enough of this mineral.

A deficiency is usually marked by generalized weakness. But those who need to be concerned about getting too much are those with diabetes and in renal failure. They can no longer metabolize or break down electrolytes and therefore run the risk of having too much potassium running through their systems. If you’re concerned that you fall in either of these extreme categories, talk to your doctor.

Posted on April 11, 2024 by heather

Meet the Berndana winner!

Michelle Dochat of Lititz, PA is the winner of the autographed Berndana from Biggest Loser’s Bernie Salazar. Congratulations! She signed up for the DietsInReview.com newsletter, which is packed with the best recipes, blog posts and diet reviews, and was then entered to win. Michele is a true Biggest Loser fan and was kind enough to share her amazing story with all of you. Thank you, Michele, and best of luck on your weight loss journey!Berndana Winner

It’s kind of funny how this got started for me. My husband was honestly pretty disgusted with the fact that I had a gym membership I didn’t really use. He’s very thin and fit (although he doesn’t work out), and even though my size has NEVER been an issue for him, he wanted me to be healthier. I had diabetes, and high blood pressure along with all the aches and pains you can imagine a 41 year old obese woman would have. My weight topped the scales at 310lbs last July. It’s funny, everyone always says they can’t believe I was that heavy, but it’s true.

My husband finally asked me one day what it was going to take to get me to commit to going to the gym. I told him I didn’t know and told him to drop it.

He threatened to cancel my membership if I didn’t start going. A couple of days later on the way to work I heard about the contest on the radio.

In September 07 a local radio station (WLAN – FM97) announced that they would be doing their own version of Biggest Loser with a local gym and they were looking for contestants. One of their weekend dj’s was Nicole from BL4, and she would be calling in each week for updates and they would be doing it through a gym I already belonged to. I was like a bad catholic, I was a member, but didn’t really go.

They asked for email entries, and photos. I sent an email to them along with two pictures of myself from my wedding in December 04. I didn’t think they would pick me and I sort of forgot about it. I told one co-worker about it and she wished me luck in getting picked and that was that.

About a week later I received an email from the station that I was one of the 4 contestants that would be competing! The prize was going to be a free year at the gym! I was scared and excited, and realizing that this meant I would actually have to go to the gym now, no backing out.

Well, I told my co-worker first and told her how scary it was but she encouraged me BIG-TIME! It took a couple of days to tell my husband and when I did he was skeptical, and didn’t think I would stick to it. I was determined to prove him wrong!

I went to the gym, got all set up with a fitness plan, and started a 14 day detox diet that was rough! I went to the gym 4 times a week and got through that detox and started to like working out ( A HUGE shock to me). The pounds started to drop and all of the contestants got to know each other and become friends, as well as the two dj’s from the morning show at the station. We all weighed in once a week and loss amounts were announced weekly on the station. It gave everyone a lot of accountability and was fun.

In December we all gathered for a holiday party at the gym and to find out who had won. I didn’t win, and my weight loss total at that point was 25 lbs and 22 1/2 inches. My starting weight at the gym had been 289 (I’d been losing a bit before starting the contest but wasn’t really aware of it).

The wonderful part was that the gym (Tim’s Fitness in Lititz, PA) was generous and gave ALL of us a year long membership, as well as out heart rate monitors to keep! What a wonderful gift. As of my latest weight in last week my weight is at 260. That makes me 50 lbs lighter than I was last summer! I still go at least 4 times per week and watch every bite (almost) that goes into my mouth!

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Natalie K

Biggest Loser: Episode 15

It doesn’t seem possible that we’re on the cusp of this season ending. As I said in my first episode recap, I’d never watched the show before, now, I’m completely hooked. So, while I have nothing to compare it to- this season has been one wild ride. Twists and turns around every corner, a lot of man crying, unexpected rallies, plenty of records set and, as Bob Harper put it, a season of one pound.

This season really has fallen to the mercy of a single pound week after week. Bernie went home for one pound; Mark and Jay each gained a pound to send Jay home; Jay spent $10,000 to buy a one pound pass; Last night Roger beat the Biggest Loser on-ranch weight loss record by one pound. The list goes on.

Last night, two impressive records were set. As mentioned, Roger beat the record set by Neil in season four for most weight lost on campus. Early in the week Roger told Bob he’d beat that record and planned to lose no less than 15 pounds. Doubters be damned, he did it! A total Biggest Loser ranch weight loss of 144 pounds. Congratulations Roger! He lost a person… he lost me!

Ali Biggest LoserThe other record deservedly went to miss Ali. She’s lost more weight on campus than any other female in Biggest Loser history- an impressive 99 pounds! Congrats to Ali as well! She’s right on track to be crowned the first-ever female Biggest Loser. As Jillian told her last night, if there’s ever going to be someone who can do it- it’s Ali.

Last night was rather somber. It had that last day of school feeling- everyone reminiscing, not quite ready to let go of all they’ve achieved and gained in the past four months, but biting their nails to get out of there and go home. I really enjoyed the videos looking back at each of their journeys at Biggest Loser. Their reactions were almost disgust at their former selves- many remarking that they didn’t even know who that person was.

The challenge forced them to face their former selves head on- by wearing fat suits custom built to each contestant, weighing the same as they did the day they walked on to campus. Ali seemed to struggle with it emotionally more than anyone else, while Kelly seemed to struggle more with the actual feat of carrying that weight. Once again, Mark claimed the first place position- just as he had in the first challenge. His prize was $10,000 cash (no one pound passes to buy this time), and free meals from the brand new Biggest Loser Meal Plan.Mark Biggest Loser

Biggest Loser has partnered with the acclaimed meal delivery service from Bistro M.D. to provide fans and anyone access to the doctor- and professional chef-designed meals that the contestants enjoy. Meals are delivered to your home weekly and contain an ideal balance of nutrition, calories and serving size. Read the full review of Biggest Loser Meal Plan here.

The weigh-in was one of the most impressive yet. A total of 51 pounds was lost between the final four: Roger -15, Mark -12, Ali -11 and Kelly -13. Remember, this is a game of percentages based on body fat loss. Ali and Kelly once again claimed the top two positions for weight lost, forcing Mark and Roger below the yellow line. As Roger had psyched himself to be eliminated and not make it to the finale, host Allison introduced the final twist of season 5. Last night, there was no elimination. It’s up to you, and me. For the first time ever, Biggest Loser’s third finale contestant will be chosen by America.

Cast your vote– choose between Roger and Mark to compete in the finale. I spoke with Jillian, Bob and the executive producer Mark Koops last week and they shared their insight for the Biggest Loser vote in this Diet Column post. Once you’ve voted- come back here and let us know who you voted for and why.

I’ve got one final Biggest Loser recap- and that one will come live from LA next week. I’ll be backstage to hear from the winner (will it be the first female?) and follow-up with the other finalists and contestants.

Coming up for Biggest Loser at DietsInReview:
– Tomorrow, interviews with Mark and Roger
– Tomorrow, we reveal the winner of the autographed Berndana
– Friday, hear more from Bob and Jillian about the Biggest Loser product placement and Jillian’s take on the editing process
– Tuesday, April 15, watch the live Biggest Loser finale on NBC
– Wednesday, catch the final recap and all the backstage interviews

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Natalie K