Want to lose those last ten pounds? Start reading food labels while you’re doing your grocery shopping, says new research published in the journal Agricultural Economics.
Read More:Better than Dieting? Food Label Readers Weigh Less
Better than Dieting? Food Label Readers Weigh LessSeptember 19th, 2012 - Jill EttingerNew Diet Pill Qnexa Is Fat on ControversyMarch 1st, 2012 - Jill Ettinger
For the first time in more than a dozen years, an FDA advisory panel has given its approval of an anti-obesity drug to the agency for consideration. Read More:New Diet Pill Qnexa Is Fat on ControversyHarvard Experts Challenge USDA’s ‘MyPlate’ with ‘Healthy Eating Plate’ UpgradeSeptember 19th, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
While the USDA received kudos for its updated food ‘pyramid’—now named MyPlate—released in June 2011, Harvard health experts have expounded on the recommendations to create the even healthier set of guidelines named “Healthy Eating Plate.” Read More:Harvard Experts Challenge USDA’s ‘MyPlate’ with ‘Healthy Eating Plate’ UpgradeKids Who Choose Their Own Vegetables Eat More, Study SaysJuly 21st, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
Contrary to the classic image of a forlorn child sitting in front of an uneaten plateful of Brussels sprouts long after everyone else has eaten dessert and left, parents who underestimate the ability of their children to choose healthy food instead of junk may be surprised at the results of a new study published in the journal, Brain Research.. Read More:Kids Who Choose Their Own Vegetables Eat More, Study Says9 Secrets To Eating Healthy For The HolidaysDecember 9th, 2009 - Laura Klein
If you are concerned about putting on the typical 5-10 pounds during the holiday season, follow these 9 secrets to eating and staying healthy. 1. Don’t arrive hungry to any party or event! Snack before you arrive at the party, preferably on something that is high in protein. Healthy proteins include, fish, meat, cheese, nuts. Try raw soaked almonds, they are delicious and you can carry them with you anywhere! This will prevent blood sugar spikes, curb sugar cravings, and you yearning to reach for sweets. 2. Portion Control – Eat like the Europeans do and put smaller portions on your plate. There’s a reason why they are much thinner than Americans. You can always go back for seconds. 3. Eat Slow & Chew Your Food – This may seem obvious, but as we get older and entrenched in our busy lives, most people don’t chew their food enough. Chewing your food is the first stage of digestion. When done properly, it improves digestion and prevents you from packing on the pounds! You also give your brain the time it needs to send you the message, “I’m full!”
4. Eat Your Veggies, Especially Raw Veggies – We all need fiber, especially around the holidays. Raw veggies literally help clean you out. Foods closest to their whole form cause your stomach to work harder. Nutrients enter your bloodstream slower, causing less blood sugar highs and lows. Fiber also slows digestion because your stomach processes it slower. Studies have shown that people who eat a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables have significantly lower cancer rates, and these veggies also help protect against heart disease and encourage weight loss. 5. Replace Sugar in Your Baked Goods with Agave Syrup – A good rule of thumb is, for every cup of sugar a recipe calls for, use 2/3 cup agave syrup and add it to your wet ingredients instead of the dry ingredients. 6. Buy Wines Made From Organically Grown Grapes – There are so many wines on the market that are made with organically grown grapes but don’t brag about it (because of the old stigma attached to organic wines) so start reading labels. I have found that more stores are creating an organic and or sustainable wine section. If you are looking for a wine that does not add any sulfites to it, look for one that carries the USDA Organic label. Frey Vineyards is one of the few that carries the label. They also make biodynamic wines. 7. Make Your Own Salad Dressing - So much money is wasted on monthly grocery bills buying bottled salad dressings – even if it is “low fat,” “lite,” “low-carb.” When manufacturers take something out of a product like fat, they have to replace it with something and usually it’s in the form of chemicals, carbohydrates, preservatives and other junky fillers. Make your salad dressing in bulk for the week and follow my simple steps for a Basic Salad Dressing. 8. Buy Organic Grass Fed Meats for the Holidays! Research is now showing that lean grass fed meat can lower your “bad” or LDL cholesterol levels. Here are just a few of the health benefits of eating certified organic, grass fed meats. Studies have shown that they contain more, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Beta-carotene, Health promoting fats like omega-3 fatty acids and CLA – another good fat known as conjugated linoleic acid.
If you eat the average amount of beef that a normal person eats per year, (66.5 pounds a year), simply switching to lean grass-fed beef will save you 17,733 calories a year—without requiring any self discipline or change in your eating habits. That is huge! You may pay a little more, but I bet you will pay less in expensive doctor visits and you might even lose a few pounds. 9. Offer to Bring a Delicious Healthy Dish to Parties – If you know that you are going to a party full of junk food with few to little organic and healthy dishes, bring your own. Chances are the host will appreciate the help and you will have something you can enjoy. Fighting the Food DesertNovember 2nd, 2009 - Laura Klein
Many of our nation’s neighborhoods simply don’t have access to supermarkets, let alone fresh organic fruits and veggies. Chips, soda and other packaged, chemical-filled, unhealthy ‘convenience foods’ are cheap and readily available at the corner store…a far cry from the nourishment our body naturally craves, and a key contributor to the obesity epidemic. The term for geographic food inequity is ‘food desert,’ and it’s defined as a district with little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet…but often served by plenty of fast food restaurants. It was coined by Mari Gallagher, a researcher who has delved deep into the topic and found that food deserts exist in every type of community across the U.S — urban, rural and suburban. I was moved by a profile on Chicago-based Graffiti and Grub and its founder, La Donna Redmond, on CNN last week. Her community garden and store focuses on supplying several low-income Chicago communities with sustainable, organic and locally-grown food. This quote says it all…
One of the critical areas of good eating habits is education – ideally from an early age as so brilliantly executed in Alice Waters’ inspirational Edible Schoolyard project. In a similar vein, Graffiti and Grub is focused on ‘providing the hip hop generation with the tools needed for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.’ Kudos to those hard-working advocates committed to changing the food desert into an organic food oasis. Are you familiar with ‘food deserts’? I’m curious to know whether there is awareness of this issue. Let me know! Read More:Fighting the Food DesertGreen Washing Mamma!June 29th, 2009 - Leslie Billera
I don’t know how I will feel when I first see my baby (my guess is a post mortem cocktail of thrill and terror), but one thing I definitely do know: my time – and sleep – will be limited. That’s what everyone has been telling me for the last 10 months (yes, it’s actually 10 months, not 9…but that’s another blog subject!). Soon, my husband and I will have less time to make buying decisions – but more pressure than ever to make the greenest and healthiest choices for baby. The hours I formerly spent clicking around eco product sites, languorously reading ‘about us’ and ‘press’ sections to try to discern a given product’s ‘true green value’ will be but a hazy memory. To prepare, I’ve saved these green washing sites – green washing is misleading marketing about the environmental benefits of a product – that I now share with other busy moms, dads, or just busy people in general… Green America’s Responsible Shopper Skin Deep Database from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Terrachoice
Babies away! Read More:Green Washing Mamma!Fat Tips for Heart HealthJanuary 4th, 2006 - Barbara Feiner
Yesterday, I explained the Food and Drug Administration’s new labeling requirements on trans fats, which became effective Jan. 1. As you settle into your organic lifestyle routines during this first week of 2006—and assuming your New Year’s resolutions are not yet in need of resuscitation—here are some additional tips on reducing your consumption of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol to prevent heart disease. Read the “Nutrition Facts” Panel on Grocery Items—Even the Organic Kind Choose Alternative Fats Bond with Your Waiter The FDA is conducting research to determine whether a footnote on Nutrition Facts panels, featuring dietary advice on saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol consumption, would be helpful to consumers as they monitor their diets. Read More:Fat Tips for Heart HealthSmart Choices at the Organic Salad BarDecember 13th, 2005 - Barbara Feiner
The Virtual Salad Bar You decide to take a break from your holiday shopping or go out with the gang for a quick lunch. Your best bet: the salad bar at your favorite organic restaurant or natural foods market. But making the right choices as you navigate your way through the lettuce, tomatoes, cheeses and dressings is critical if you’re watching your waistline. Pile on too much of a good thing, and you’ll be in for a high-calorie, high-fat or high-sodium surprise. Registered dietitian Joan Salge Blake, a clinical assistant professor of nutrition at Boston University and author of “Eat Right The E.A.S.Y. Way,” has created an online Virtual Salad Bar that allows you to fill your plate with lettuce, red cabbage, tomatoes, green peppers, beets, garbanzo beans, olives, broccoli, tuna and three bean salads, hummus, feta and Parmesan cheeses, croutons and your choice of dressing. As you drag each selection onto your plate, the program totals meal values: calories, total fat, saturated fat, sodium, carbohydrates and fiber. You also receive helpful tips as you click on each ingredient: Red cabbage, for example, is a “crunchy way to fight lung and prostate cancers,” while “creamy dressings don’t spread well, so you could end up using tons.” My salad weighed in at a respectable 420 calories, with 8 grams of fiber (pretty good!), but I wasn’t pleased to see the 1,012 milligrams of sodium I would have consumed, courtesy of the beets, Parmesan cheese, ranch dressing and croutons. Food for thought—and a great visual way to teach both children and adults about the nutritional pitfalls of today’s salad bars. Read More:Smart Choices at the Organic Salad Bar |
The holidays are my favorite time of year. I love the holiday cheer, hustle and bustle, and imagining I’m back in my home state of Colorado skiing Vail’s fresh, light powder on Christmas morning. For many however the holidays are full of challenges. As one of my friends said, if you think you are enlightened, go home for the holidays! LOL, (laugh out loud) we all know what that’s like. If you are one of those that has a hard time during the holidays, I encourage you to adjust your focus and focus on the joy and cheer of the season.
About a third of our nation’s adults are obese, which translates to escalated risks for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
I’m about to become a first-time mom at age 40. Literally, at any moment.
