Category: Food for Thought

Even if you’re not a fan of Greek yogurt’s distinctive flavor (it has a pronounced “tang”) for snacking or breakfast purposes, you can still tap its health benefits: It contains twice the protein of regular yogurt and less lactose as well, making it suitable for some people who suffer from lactose intolerance.   [Read more...]

Much like street drugs, sugar triggers the release of chemicals that set off the brain’s pleasure center, in this case opioids and dopamine. Some studies have suggested sugar is as addictive as cocaine.  And, as they do with street drugs, people develop a tolerance for sugar — meaning, they need more sugar  [Read more...]

An apple a day may not keep the doctor away, but it’s a healthy choice anyway. For one thing, you can’t beat the convenience of an apple. They are an easy go-to and grab-and-go snack as they come in their own packaging—meaning you can eat the skin. They also play nicely  [Read more...]

If you’ve been scarfing down scrambled egg whites because you’re afraid to eat the yolks, you’re missing out on one of Mother Nature’s most potent fat-fighting nutrients: choline. Found abundantly in egg yolks, this nutrient squelches the body’s output of leptin, a hunger–stoking hormone that fuels between-meal cravings. (Yolks also deliver vitamins  [Read more...]

When we consume alcohol, our blood alcohol level can rise very quickly. When that happens, a metabolic regulatory mechanism kicks in and our pituitary gland stops releasing one of the hormones that it stores up – a hormone called “anti-duretic hormone” or ADH. When ADH is blocked, our kidneys know to  [Read more...]

A couple months ago, a man by the name ofChris Jones (personal fitness trainer and CEO of Trainer Connect) posted a message on LinkedIn targeted to “supplements pushers” (my term, not his). It was a warning to not even think about approaching him to sell supplements to his training clients. That prompted a  [Read more...]

One of the biggest dieting mistakes, both for those who want to lose weight and those who want to control their weight, is not eating enough fruits and vegetables. To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body uses. This doesn’t mean you have to eat less food. You can  [Read more...]

For years, researchers and health experts have recommended drinking eight 8-oz. glasses of water a day. I agree that that should be the minimum. I do not agree with those who say it’s not necessary to drink at least that amount, that there are other ways to get water into the body through so-called  [Read more...]

Iron is a mineral that’s vital to our health, our metabolism and survival. All of our cells contain some iron, but most of the iron in our bodies is in our red blood cellswhich transport oxygen from our lungs to the organs and tissues throughout our bodies. However, inflammation associated with excess body weight  [Read more...]

When I start talking to new clients about the necessity of lowering their sodium, and to especially stop adding table-salt to their dinner plates, the look of panic and horror often follows. So many people are addicted; so many, just by rote response, will reach for the salt shaker before they even taste their  [Read more...]

Who doesn’t love soup, right? Hot soup warms our bellies in the winter.  Cold soups are a refreshing touch in the summer. But, soups are a little tricky to fit into one’s portion-controlled weight loss and maintenance lifestyle. While you might find a canned soup low in calories, or even relatively low in  [Read more...]

Almost everyone loves sushi. After all, what’s not to love? It comes in all varieties and all colors, and those bite-size pieces are so cute, right? And who doesn’t think a sushi hand roll in the shape of a cone isn’t healthier than an ice-cream cone, right? Well . . . uh . .  [Read more...]

The official first day of summer is almost here. Sun. Surf. Sand. Barbecues and beer. Beautiful beach sunsets and bottles of wine. Happy hours and hang-overs. Alcohol is deeply entrenched in our culture as a way to have fun, let loose, and be social . . . and  [Read more...]

This is a question I get asked quite a lot and to answer it, I’ll start with another question: What exactly is panko? — the Japanese word for “small pieces of bread.” First, some history. Did you know that panko crumbs are not made with heat? They’re electrocuted!! While the Japanese  [Read more...]

Both red and green cabbages are rich in nutrients, but there are differences in the nutrients they offer. Some red cabbages contain almost twice the vitamin C as some green cabbages. Red cabbages are always richer in flavonoid phytonutrients (say THAT three times fast!) that not only act as antioxidants but  [Read more...]

One of the major components of weight loss (as well as weight maintenance) is, of course, portion control. Yet, I often get asked, “You mean, vegetables aren’t unlimited?” “Why can I can’t have as much celery as I want?” and “Vegetables were unlimited on the last program I did.” No, vegetables are not  [Read more...]