-
Diet Alone, or Live It Together?
Tweet Share on Facebook April 8, 2013 CommentI was delighted to join an episode of Katie Couric's show, to air on Wednesday, devoted entirely to the issue of childhood obesity. I was also delighted to learn that People Magazine was a sponsor of the episode and would be devoting next week's issue to the same topic.
But in some ways, a dedicated focus on childhood obesity is problematic, in just the same ways that an isolated focus on obesity among adults is. Children live with adults, not in some parallel universe. We are all in this together. The basic functional unit of our society is only very rarely a lone individual, and almost always a family.
-
Spring Snacks: Make These Smart Swaps
Tweet Share on Facebook April 4, 2013 CommentThe birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming and the temperature is rising. Now that spring has arrived and you'll be peeling off excess layers of clothing, it's also a good time to take stock of the extra pounds that may have accumulated over winter. Let's start cleaning up your act by spring-cleaning your snacks.
-
The Most Important Skill for Weight Management
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2013 CommentWhat do you think it is?
I'll start by telling you what it's not. It's not willpower, determination or motivation. It's not avoiding carbs or sugar or fats. And it's not cooking, hitting the gym or sticking to your plan.
-
Revamp Your Spring Workout Routine
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2013 CommentThe workout rut is all too familiar. We walk the treadmill while watching TV, climb the elliptical with no resistance and do sit-ups aimlessly just to convince ourselves we're exercising. Sticking to the same regimen day in and day out makes us complacent and does no favors for our muscles. Busting out of the fitness rut is the only way to kick those muscles into gear and really change and tone your body. Try one of my favorite fitness programs to spice up a boring routine and get your bodies rocking for spring:
-
How to Stop Diabetes From Starting
Tweet Share on Facebook April 2, 2013 CommentThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a shocking statistic a few weeks ago: Eighty-nine percent of the 79 million Americans with pre-diabetes are not even aware they have the condition. In other words, there are 70.3 million Americans over the age of 20 at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes at any moment … and they don't even know it.
This is troubling for several reasons. For starters, type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition associated with a reduced life expectancy; the average 50 year old with diabetes loses an estimated 8 1/2 years of longevity. Prevention, therefore, translates into increased likelihood of a substantially longer life—the end of which is less likely to be spent shuttling to and from doctor's offices and hospitals. Secondly, there are several established ways to delay—if not entirely prevent—the onset of diabetes in people with prediabetes.
-
Reviving the Family Meal: It's Good For Your Health
Tweet Share on Facebook April 2, 2013 CommentToday's families are pulled in a million different directions. Parents work long hours and kids' schedules are packed with school, sports and other extracurricular activities. Plus, we're expected to exercise almost every day, and on top of that put healthy meals on the table. It's making me tired just writing this! Often, sitting down at the dinner table for a family meal just doesn't make it to our list of the top priorities for the day. Rather, everyone retreats to their "screen" of choice—whether it's a computer, TV or tablet—for yet another solitary, distraction-filled meal.
-
Rhubarb, 3 Ways
Tweet Share on Facebook April 1, 2013 CommentHave you steered clear of rhubarb in the produce aisle because you only know it mixed with strawberries in a pie, or you thought it seemed more like decor than a delicacy? Before zipping your shopping cart by this the rhubarb section, I plan to stop you in your tracks. That's right people, it is time to stop and smell the rhubarb.
-
Fortified Junk Foods Are Still Junk
Tweet Share on Facebook April 1, 2013 CommentOne of the disquieting trends in modern nutrition—and frankly, there are quite a few—is the contention that fortification makes any food a good food.
A time-honored example is breakfast cereal. Who hasn't heard a sonorous announcer conclude a television commercial by declaring that some kids' cereal that would otherwise seem a lot like a bowl full of jelly beans is "fortified with 11 essential vitamins and minerals—part of a complete breakfast!"
-
Grocery Store RDs Offer Money-Saving Tips
Tweet Share on Facebook March 29, 2013 CommentWe've all been there. Fueled by a New Year's resolution or inspired by the upcoming bikini season, we load our grocery cart up with fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, only to take it all home and throw the bulk of it away days later as it turns limp and stale in our kitchen. Is it any wonder that the most common misperception about healthy eating is that it costs too much? "Many people simply overestimate how much food they will need or cook in one week," says Cindy Silver, a corporate dietitian for Lowes Foods. "They over-purchase and then life happens, leaving them with too much in the fridge, especially perishables." One of Silver's top money-saving tips is to re-purpose perishable foods by wrapping, dating and then freezing the food just before it turns bad and needs to be tossed.
-
Second-Hand Junk Food
Tweet Share on Facebook March 28, 2013 CommentIn my regular battles against the unhealthy new normals of our modern-day, "Willy Wonkian" dietary dystopia, one of the common arguments I hear to oppose any sort of food regulation is that, unlike from tobacco smoke, no one ever got sick from second-hand junk food.
I disagree.
