Nutrition & Diet

Healthy Beverage Bonanza: The New Kids in Town

I am constantly amazed at the plethora of drinks at my local Safeway. There is a whole refrigerated wall next to the deli and another refrigerated section next to the beer…and then there is the actual beverage section itself with 4-packs, 6-packs, 12-packs, 24-packs, quarts, liters, etc. There are teas, coffee-based drinks, sodas, mixers, sports drinks, as well as the newer “functional” beverages. And I’m not even talking about the juice aisle—that’s a whole other post.

Nutrition & Diet

Daily Diet: Taste Test of Celsius Calorie Burning Beverage

I’m thinking that it can’t hurt to have a little extra help when dieting or exercising, for both burning calories and sustaining energy, which is why I decided to taste test a new functional beverage called Celsius. Celsius is touted as the “Ultimate Fitness Partner,” one that uses a core blend of ingredients to form MetaPlus which enhances metabolism and results in a sustained calorie burn.

Healthy Eating & Recipes

Summer Treats without the Guilt

With a heat wave sending the thermometer soaring in many parts of the country, it’s time to bring out the cold summer treats that put a smile on your face, satisfy your sweet tooth, and cool you down in a hurry. Doing that without packing on the pounds at the same time can be difficult, but there are some great ways to have your ice cream and eat it too.

Healthy Eating & Recipes

Strawberry Fields…Forever

Well, almost. Right now strawberries are enjoying a boom, with an unprecedented 63 million pounds per week flowing out of California fields and into farmers’ markets, greengrocers, and supermarkets across the land. So it’s time to take advantage of this abundance during the peak of the season and add some strawberries into your daily diet.

Nutrition & Diet

Rice: The Healthy Basics

Did you know that worldwide there are more than 40,000 different varieties of rice? Rice comes in a rainbow of colors and flavors and almost every culture on Earth has incorporated rice into their diet. For more than half of the world's population rice is a staple and, according to the World Food Grid, 20% of the total food energy intake in the world comes from rice. In Asia alone, more than 2 billion people get up to 70 percent of their daily dietary energy from rice and its by-products.

Nutrition & Diet

Are All Yogurts Created Equal?

You may have noticed that the refrigerated yogurt case has grown in recent years and now contains such a huge variety of yogurt it can be difficult to choose. Nonfat or low-fat? Custard or Greek? Flavor at the bottom or stirred? Probiotic or regular? The choices, along with the flavor combinations, are almost endless, as are the health claims. Spending time trying to decide means the rest of your basket suffers. So to get in and out of the dairy aisle in a more expedient manner, here is a primer on yogurt.

Weight Loss

Be Full Snacks: Weight Loss Companion

While I often review diets and diet books, it is not often that I review other diet products. But I did consent to checking out the Be Full product line, as I thought it might be of interest to my readers and they are 100% natural, high in protein and fiber, and are widely available.

Healthy Eating & Recipes

Put a Shrimp on the Barbie

The weather is warming up and its time to drag out the barbecue, if you haven’t already. But instead of the traditional burgers & dogs or sauce-lathered ribs, consider seafood as a tasty and healthy grilled alternative.

Shrimp is low in calories—just 83 calories per five-ounce serving— and has one-third the amount of saturated fat found in lean cuts of beef. You’ll also be getting a good portion of iron and 20 grams of your daily protein per serving. Not to mention that it is tasty, cooks quickly and absorbs flavors well.

Nutrition & Diet

Earth Day: To Meat or Not to Meat

Today we should pause and reflect on the survival of our planet; what we as an industrialized society have done to damage it and what we can do to repair it so that future generations can prosper as we have. A whole day to celebrate and bring awareness of the by-products of our civilization: deforestation, pollution, ozone depletion, the amount of garbage we generate every single day.

Family Health

The Controversy Over Ronald McDonald

I’ve been watching the war of words concerning the image of Ronald McDonald, the iconic face behind the McDonald’s fast food chain. Much like the Marlboro Man, he may very well fall by the wayside and become a small piece of America’s past.