The DASH diet has been named the best diet by U.S. News and World Report. A panel of experts evaluated 25 diets and chose the best weight loss program based on several factors. According the the Los Angeles Times these included seven different health-related criteria as well as “how well they generated short- and long-term weight loss.”
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Just in time for the new year, the USDA has released new weight loss tools to help you manage your diet and physical activity. The SuperTracker tools, which include a food log, a weight manager, and a physical activity tracker, are free so that dieters can set and reach weight loss goals without breaking the bank.
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If you need weight loss motivation, a new award-winning YouTube video might be just the thing to give you a nudge towards making a healthy decision. “Choices” illustrates how making simple changes throughout a typical day can have a positive impact on your health. Many times, taking small steps can lead to a larger investment in a weight loss program.
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Nutrisystem has announced that Janet Jackson will be the new spokesperson for their weight loss program. This report comes on the heels of a sultry new ad campaign for Jenny (formerly Jenny Craig) in which Mariah Carey reveals a svelte new body wrapped in wind swept ribbons of sheer fabric. Are you inspired? Or do you find the endorsements frustrating?
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Trying to squeeze in a workout during the hectic holiday season? Why not add a fitness activity to a family get-together? Not only will you burn extra calories, but exercising together lightens the mood, helps to build camaraderie, and sets a good example for younger members of the family. Even older members of the family may benefit. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that obese older adults who combine weight loss and exercise enjoy better physical functioning as they age.
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New Year’s Day is right around the corner. Will you be one of the millions of Americans who makes a weight loss resolution? If so, do your homework in advance. Then, be prepared on New Year’s Day with a realistic goal and a solid plan for success.
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Snacking between breakfast and lunch may hinder your ability to lose weight says a new study. Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that female dieters who consumed a mid-morning snack lost an average of seven percent of their body weight while those who ate breakfast but did not snack before lunch lost more than 11 percent of their body weight.
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Here’s a fast and easy recipe for a really tasty and super nutritious snack. These kale chips are made with just three ingredients (kale, olive oil and nutritional yeast). (PS I know the picture I took looks awful, and you can’t see that they are crunchy and dry..)
My nephew told me about this recipe. He’s a vegetarian and it’s hard for him to get enough B vitamins. One super food that contains tons of these vitamins is nutritional yeast.
Nutritional yeast (amazon link)
contains 18 amino acids (forming the complete protein) and 15 minerals. Being rich in the B-complex vitamins, it is vital in many ways and particularly good for stress reduction. The B-complex vitamins help make nutritional yeast such a valuable supplement, especially to the vegetarian. One element of yeast is the trace mineral chromium, also known as the Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF). This is necessary to regulate blood sugar and is important for diabetics and people with a tendency toward low blood sugar.
Kale is one of the world’s healthiest vegetables. (The other two hugely nutritious greens are swiss chard and collard greens.)
So this recipe combines two of the world’s healthiest foods and it’s really yummy. It does taste a bit like thin crisp chips. The nutritional yeast has a nice nutty flavor. Hope you will give it a try.
Kale Chips Recipe:
Ingredients:
- a bunch of raw kale (tear into bite size pieces)
- nutritional yeast
- olive oil
Place the kale on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle a good amount of nutritional yeast over it. Bake it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees. And voila!
You have kale chips.
If anyone would like to figure out the calorie count, please let me know! I figure it is about 200 calories at most for a heaping bowl full.
What do you think is the key habit keeping you from losing weight?
Is it eating too many sweet foods? Or too many fatty foods? Is it mainly a matter of not exercising enough? Or is it too much soda or alcohol?
It’s been a few years since I did a poll. It would be interesting to see which habit people feel is the one most responsible for their weight gain. Please vote on your best habit breaker to lose weight. See it on the sidebar to the right.
The poll starts today January 1st and closes in six days. See how other people have voted so far.
Please leave your comments below!
Here’s a video showing some inspirational before and after photos of a couple of dozen people who’ve lost a lot of weight. Hope you enjoy.
