Diet and Nutrition

FREE Printables for Food Pun Gift Tags

Don’t give just any ordinary food or snack gift when you can make them punny! We had a lot of fun coming up with just the right sentiment to complement some of our favorite healthier snacks and hope you have an easier time sharing the goods. We purposely left them generic enough to not require any particular time of year or holiday. And we also purposely made them completely free so that you can spring for the really good treats!

Just click, print the PDF, and trim them out. Then, share with the special friends, neighbors, co-workers, teachers, and other dear ones in your life.

JUSTIN Case You Didn’t Know

This gift is butter than every other choc + pb cup out there (#fact)! And with this sweet tag, it makes Justin’s a pretty easy (and organic!) gift to share. Wrap one pack or a few and seal the deal with our simple message.

Download the Justin’s Gift Tag PDF. 6 tags/sheet

Thanks for Being EXTRA Nice

This simple gift is a real mint that doesn’t require too much extra effort on your part. We filled a small jar with sticks of Extra sugar-free gum and delivered with the tag affixed to the lid.

Download the Extra Gift Tag PDF. 5 tags/sheet (more…)

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Natalie K

How the Gift of Presence Can Help You Lose Weight This Season

Holidays can be challenging, especially when it comes to the variety and amount of food you encounter at gatherings. That’s why this can be a time of year you look forward to, and yet dread. If you struggle with your weight, should you do your best to make peace with the scale? Or should you avoid it all together; after all, you can always start again with the new year, right? Instead, we say plan accordingly.

Remaining present can be a challenge. Knowing what to expect this time of year and planning to approach it a bit differently can make a big difference in maintaining your weight and experiencing more peace, love, and joy (with yourself) this time of year.

Retrofit offers a personalized approach to weight loss and a sustainable, healthy lifestyle by identifying the key challenge(s) individuals face when trying to lose weight anytime of year. Each client takes a Lifestyle Patterns Assessment (LPA) developed by Dr. Robert Kushner, a weight-loss physician with decades of experience. The pattern(s) identified for each individual allows the Behavior Coach (or Weight Loss Coach) and client to work on the area(s) keeping him or her from being successful at losing the weight for good.

Clients are rarely surprised by their LPA results; they usually know what they should do to lose weight and make healthier choices. We use the patterns identified to build successful strategies. In short, the Behavior Coach helps clients close the gap between what they know and what they actually do, providing encouragement along the way. (more…)

Posted on December 5, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Carnivorous Humans Poised to Shake Up the Food Chain

Traditionally omnivores, humans are shifting towards a more carnivorous lifestyle. This change is especially apparent in countries like India and China where the rapidly changing economies are causing citizens to eat more meat.

A new study on global food consumption published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looks in detail at what people are eating. It also studied trends for individual countries. The ones that are eating more meat are doing so in such amounts that they effectively “cancel out” any decrease in meat-eating in other countries.

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Posted on December 5, 2023 by Elizabeth

The Only Fitness Tracker Review Guide You Need for 2024

2024 Fitness Tracker Review Guide Available Now!

Within the last few years, the market for wearable computers has exploded. Today, we’re looking at five such devices that help you monitor your physical activity, stay in shape, keep track of your sleeping patterns, and go everywhere you go. You see, the best innovations are those that are exceedingly simple to use and assume a natural place in your life.

I looked at the latest and greatest fitness gadgets for this post: the Fitbit Force, the BodyBugg LINK, the Jawbone UP, the Nike FuelBand SE, and the Ssmart Dynamo. By and large, they do many of the same things, so how do you decide which one is right for you? Here are ten key features about each to help you decide which fits your lifestyle.

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A few key takeaways from the data I gathered.

The Nike FuelBand SE has the longest battery life. If you’re on the go more than you’re at home, this is something to consider. With the FuelBand, you can expect 12 days between charges.

If you already use a smartphone app to track your fitness or food intake, you’ll want one that plays nicely with your favorite app. The Fitbit Force, BodyBugg LINK, and Jawbone UP are the three models to look at for this.

All models have a pedometer function to track your steps throughout the day. And all models, except the FuelBand, include sleep monitoring and calorie tracking. (more…)

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Mike

Getting Spiritual: Diet and Exercise with Christian Influence

If you’re in the market for a new diet buddy, many would suggest looking for someone with a little more power. A higher power, if you will. In the last few years Christian-based diet and exercise programs have surged in popularity.

In 2024, Pastor Rick Warren introduced the Daniel Plan based on the Old Testament story of Daniel who was held captive by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel and his companions refused the heavy food and wine from the king’s table, instead consuming fruits, vegetables and water. After 10 days they were in better health than those who had eaten the king’s food.

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Posted on December 4, 2023 by Elizabeth

5 Snacks Disguised as Meals: Stay Full on the Go for Less than 500 Calories

By Janis Jibrin, M.S., RD, Best Life lead nutritionist

What to eat when you’re stuck in a junk-food-infested office park, stretch of highway, or other nutrition wasteland? Try one of these five meals, all of which contain foods you can keep in your purse, desk drawer, or office fridge, or can be found at a coffee shop. They range from 370 to 480 calories.

trail mix recipe

Oatmeal topped with dried fruit and/or nuts and a 12-ounce nonfat or 1 percent latte

Approximate calories: 370

Nutrition highlights: This dish is rich in calcium and cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber (from the oats), plus it offers phytonutrients from the coffee, dried nuts and fruits. It’s my go-to at Starbucks and other coffee shops.

Trail mix (2/3 cup)

Approximate calories: 450

Nutrition highlights: Nuts, seeds and dried fruit offer vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients and healthy fats. Make your own to control the ingredients and avoid a sugar rush. Try our Sweet & Nutty Trail Mix. (more…)

Posted on December 4, 2023 by BestLifeDiet

PETA Wants You to Become Vegan so You Can Take Plan B

For many years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has used advertising to show us that all vegan women are slim and traditionally sexy. That’s the whole point of the “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign. PETA also puts out an annual list of the year’s “sexiest vegan celebrities.” This year, that list includes Kristen Bell. People’s Sexiest Man of 2024, Adam Levine, considers himself 85 percent vegan. This time however, PETA may have taken the sexy and slim bit a little too far.

When news broke that Plan B, a morning-after pill, may not be effective for women weighing more than 176 pounds, PETA jumped at the chance to convert more people to veganism. In a press release they suggested “Plan V as a Plan B lifeline for overweight women.”

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Posted on December 3, 2023 by Elizabeth

Happy Holidays! By the Way, You Might Explode

“I ate so much I’m going to explode” is a popular phrase around the Thanksgiving table. If your family is like mine, you’ve had a least two giant feasts over the holiday weekend and feel near to bursting. Not that you are going to burst, because that can’t really happen.

Actually it can. The first recorded case of someone eating until they exploded comes from Stockholm in 1891. In that case, the individual’s ability to empty his stomach had been impaired by the massive amount of opium he had ingested. When doctors went to pump his stomach, it overfilled and ruptured.

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Posted on December 2, 2023 by Elizabeth

Food Blogger Spotlight: Donna and Tora from Donna & Tora

Donna and Tora want you to have a, “joyful relationship with food.” As authors, health coaches and fitness professionals, these fit ladies know a thing or two about creating healthy recipes but that wasn’t always at the forefront of their minds. Donna (pictured left) struggled to lose weight while Tora (right) fought her own demons and battled an eating disorder that once left her at just 81 pounds. After finding the strength to help themselves, they vowed to help others. Donna & Tora.com is their love-child blog.

More about Donna and Tora –

Why did you start your food blog? We started off just having a few recipes on our healthy living blog, but the recipes were by far the most popular things we wrote about so we kept going! We love food but also want to stay slim and be healthy, so we set out to find recipes that were easy to make and, “upgrades” of the things we love. For example, our recipes are all gluten-free and sugar-free, but we don’t want to feel deprived so we find delicious alternatives instead.

How would you describe your approach to eating/health? Our philosophy is “health is a lifestyle, not a life sentence,” so we are firm believers in eating healthy food and also having treats – we actually plan treats into our week so we don’t end up with such severe cravings that we go and pig out. We’re always upgrading, but we make it fun as we go.

Have you always had an interest in healthy food or did it come later in life? Great question! Donna used to be a smoking, drinking, dieting disaster and I used to be extremely fit but very unhealthy. Donna’s real passion for healthy food has grown since we started our business, while I had a wake-up call in my early 30s that I needed to start eating healthy food, and my passion for healthy food has grown ever since.

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Posted on December 1, 2023 by Dani Stone

Ramani Durvasula Lost 81 Pounds When She Jumped to the Dirty Plate Club

When Ramani Durvasula’s young daughter became ill, she took stock of her life and realized that her daughter’s condition may be out of her control, but her personal health was not. As a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of psychology, Ramani was in tune to why she was overweight, she just needed a new perspective. By adopting some “old school,” habits, Ramani lost 81 pounds.

As the mother of four children, Ramani noticed the creeping-on of weight over the years. She attributed it to less activity, not being mindful of what she ate and the common pitfall, emotional eating. “I used food as a one stop shop – lover, friend, numbing agent, celebration tool, kleenex – just about everything,” she said.

Like many women, Ramani thought she knew what she weighed but after a frustrating night preparing for a date with her husband, she began to wonder. “I knew I had put on a little weight, but figured I should be able to toss on some oversized garments my mom brought me back from India,” she explained. “I put these big tent clothes on and dress after dress ripped. I was mortified, sad and confused. I stepped on a scale – assuming I would weigh in at about 160 pounds. I stepped on and it registered 202 pounds.”

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Posted on November 30, 2023 by Dani Stone

11 Quirky Foodie Friendly Gifts Priced Under $50

Fa-la-la-la and Deck the Halls! It’s Black Friday and you know what that means, zealous bargain hunters will be out in full force, ready to knock you down for a Hello Kitty television. The holiday shopping season has officially begun, so if there’s a foodie on your list, but you’re tired of getting him or her the usual fare, check out the fun gift guide below. Since everything is priced under $50, you can afford to pick up a few things for yourself, too.

Spice Lab Gourmet Salt Collection – Are you so over table salt? Do you wish sea salt came in exotic flavors? Well, it does and now you can have your very own international sea salt collection. The Spice Lab Gourmet brings you a set of 11 different salt samples from around the world including Bolivian Pink Sunset from the mountains of Bolivia. Mmm, mountain salt. Comes in a stylish wood holder. $44.95

Robot Tea Infuser – Tea is often touted for its health benefits and tea enthusiasts prefer loose leaf for its bold flavor, but brewing can be tricky. The Robot Tea Infuser is a kitschy functional way to brew one mug at a time without ending up with swimmy bits floating around. Just fill up his little chest, attach his adjustable arms to the cup, and plunge him into hot water to steep. $9.99

Tear-Free Onion Glasses – If you’re tired of onion vapors wrecking your mascara before dinner, put tear-free onion glasses on your list. They slip on and off comfortably, but fit snug like goggles to keep out airborne irritants that cause eye weepage. The only reason you should cry while chopping onions is if you’re also watching the movie Titanic. Seriously, why didn’t Rose just scootch over on that door? Includes storage case. $19.95

Herb Oil Infuser – Now this is fancy infusing! Even famous foodie and self-proclaimed EVOO lover Rachael Ray would be impressed. The stylish carafe lets you add flavor to olive oil by putting a sprig of herb right inside. The plant is partitioned so you get all of the delicious infused flavor without the debris. $15.00

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Posted on November 29, 2023 by Dani Stone

Diet and Nutrition

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