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I Love You, Have Another Helping
Tweet Share on Facebook July 18, 2012 CommentIn 1993, we updated our understanding and definition of the leading causes of death in the United States. Almost 20 years later, it's time to update the way we express love in the United States. Kindly remain calm, and fully dressed, and I'll tell you what I mean in both cases.
Regarding leading causes of death, prior to 1993, the only established way to delineate them was to look at diseases listed on death certificates. The most common entry was heart disease; the second most common was cancer; the third was stroke, and so on. So prior to 1993, heart disease was the leading cause of death in the U.S. And it still is.
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The Anatomy of a Healthy Salad
Tweet Share on Facebook July 18, 2012 CommentHow many times have you been in a restaurant with a friend and heard her say, "Oh, I'll just have a salad," with a satisfied look on her face? When looking for a healthy option, it's not uncommon for people to immediately rely on salad as their go-to meal. Often associated with being low in calories and high in nutrients, salads seem to make sense. The truth is, sometimes opting for a salad can be one of your worst dieting downfalls. On the other hand, salads don't have to equate to a wider waistline. Research shows people who eat salads are more likely to have higher levels of key nutrients that prevent cancer and heart disease, and may consume 12 percent less calories throughout the meal. It's all about preparing them correctly and knowing what to add in and what to take out.
Below are my five top tips on how to slim down your salad, without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.
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What Is the World's 'Best Diet'?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 18, 2012 CommentThere sure are a great many diets. Low-carb, low-fat, vegan, raw, paleo, gluten-free, and on, and on. Which one should you choose? Is there one diet that's been proven to be head-and-shoulders better than others for weight management? If so, how might you figure out which one it is?
Looking to bookstores won't be terrifically helpful, as it will likely take time to wade through the 124,000 or so diet titles that currently populate shelves. Looking to the internet may be confusing, too, as you'll immediately encounter duelling nutritional gurus—each one loudly discrediting the next. Looking to your friends will only get you as far as where they're currently at, since they'll undoubtedly champion whatever it is they're currently trying themselves.
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Three Sides to Celery
Tweet Share on Facebook July 18, 2012 CommentIf chomping on celery gives you flashbacks of your dieting days, it's time to wash the slate clean and think of celery in a whole new light. Sure, we know it's low in cals, but it isn't just a crunchy, "diet" friendly snack. Celery is loaded with health benefits that it rarely gets recognized for. Plus, it tastes pretty great in all sorts of non-crudité ways. Celery contains active compounds called phthalides, which can help relax the muscles around arteries and allow those vessels to dilate. This creates a little more room in the arteries, allowing blood to flow smoothly, helping to lower blood pressure. Among the many phytonutrients found in this stringy vegetable, one in particular called luteolin may reduce brain inflammation and help improve memory. Celery also has a sexy side: It's loaded with pheromones (androstenone and androstenol), and when men chomp on these stalks they give off a subtle odor that may turn women on.
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Food Intolerance: Fact and Fiction
Tweet Share on Facebook July 17, 2012 CommentOnce upon a time, when having a dinner party, the only accommodation a thoughtful host had to make was to consider the occasional vegetarian. But times certainly have changed.
Nowadays, it seems everyone has a restricted diet of some sort. Some people avoid milk for a variety of reasons—either due to lactose intolerance, an inability to digest the milk sugar in dairy products, or concerns that dairy makes them congested. Gluten—the main protein found in wheat—is increasingly being shunned by health-conscious consumers who believe it to be a "toxin" responsible for everything from bloating and weight gain to poor energy and "brain fogs." And the latest newcomer to the food intolerance scene is fructose—the primary sugar in fruit juice, honey, agave nectar, and high-fructose corn syrup—which research suggests may be poorly digested in up to 30 percent of the Caucasian population.
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Could DNA Dictate Your Best Workout?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 17, 2012 CommentContrary to what magazine covers would have you believe, there is no magic workout that works for everybody. Customization is key, and over the years that word has become commonly used to describe various types of program development. We exercised for our body shape, blood type, personality, and even astrological sign, but recently the conversation has taken a more scientific turn. The latest approach: exercising for your phenotype. And it may be more than buzzworthy. Scientists and industry insiders say we could have finally cracked the body betterment code.
While still somewhat in its infancy, DNA testing is beginning to be used in top facilities around the country to inform trainer-prescribed exercise plans for both aesthetic and wellness purposes. And the testing itself requires nothing more than a simple cheek swab and subsequent lab analysis.
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Lost Weight? How to Keep it Off—for Good
Tweet Share on Facebook July 17, 2012 CommentLosing weight is straightforward: Eat fewer calories than you burn off and you'll lose pounds. Period.
Any diet that helps you eat fewer calories than your body requires will help you lose pounds. Keeping the weight off, however, is another story. Fewer than 10 percent of those who lose at least 10 percent of their body weight can keep it off for any significant period of time. That's why most people think diets don't work.
Diets do work. Weight maintenance is what's broken. That's why obesity researchers are now focused on studies looking at the metabolic and hormonal differences that occur once you lose weight. Recent studies of those who have managed to keep pounds off for several years reveal that how we lose and how we maintain require very different approaches.
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Letting Go of Food Guilt
Tweet Share on Facebook July 16, 2012 Comment"Order grilled chicken instead of steak… or better yet, get fish. Always order salad instead of fries, and always get your dressing on the side."
These "rules" may seem so common nowadays among health-conscious Americans. But in the last few years, new rules have started to emerge. "Don't ever drink chocolate milk. Only buy organic milk. No wait, adults don't even need to drink milk at all." I could go on and on about foods that have become taboo—whole eggs, bread, and even fruit have been labeled as "bad" for one reason or another.
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How Does Your Garden Grow?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 16, 2012 CommentNo matter how long I've been growing food, I still find myself from time to time standing in awe of the fact that what starts as a tiny seed one day becomes a beautiful, nutritious fruit or vegetable. It barely seems possible, yet it happens. Perhaps you are planting your first garden now and are looking forward to experiencing this. Seeing any seed grow is remarkable, of course, and if that is your whole objective, then plant whatever you want. However, there are some specific reasons that giving your seed choice a bit more thought can improve your gardening experience.
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5 Secret Smoothie Ingredients
Tweet Share on Facebook July 13, 2012 CommentBehold, the smoothie: Done right, smoothies can be a great meal or a snack in a glass, since they're packed with fiber and vitamins. Done poorly, they can add to your waistline—fast. Some smoothies, especially those you purchase rather than make, contain 500 to 800 calories, making them a hefty meal. But when you control the ingredients, smoothies are a fantastic way to get a no-cook, nutritious meal or snack that you can take on the run.
