Month of May, 2009

Hi everyone! You may have heard the latest news that the weight loss supplement, Hydroxycut has been banned by the FDA (see http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/us_med_diet_pill_recall.html for the full story) . After several cases of serious liver problems, including jaundice (yellowing of the skin), liver failure, and at least one death, the company that makes Hydroxycut has agreed to recall 14 Hydroxycut products.

I have long said that I don’t believe that any type of supplement is necessary when you are consuming a healthy diet, and this report just furthers my belief. Whether your goal is bodybuilding , disease prevention, or weight loss, with good guidance from a registered dietitian, you can meet all your needs for protein, antioxidants and other nutrients, and even speed up your metabolism with a healthy diet.

Lots of restaurants seem to be listening to our plea for healthier options, and so they are introducing new food choices. But you may be shocked to hear that I am really not pleased with this! I am actually a bit frustrated.

Sonic has a new wheat bun for their grilled chicken sandwich, KFC has just introduced their new "Kentucky Grilled Chicken", and about every fastfood restaurant is claiming that their menu is "trans-fat free." So what's the problem?

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a conference in Atlanta about nutrient-rich foods, and I want to share with you some of the things that I learned. Nutrient-rich foods are your secret weapon when it comes to nutrition, weight-loss, feeling satisfied, getting the most nutritional bang for your buck, and even disease prevention!

So what does nutrient-rich mean?

Hi everyone! You may have noticed that there was no new blog last week. That’s because I was cruising with my husband and his family around the Eastern Caribbean aboard Royal Caribbean’s beautiful Liberty of the Seas cruise ship.

When you think about cruise ships, you may think about eating too much food and gaining weight. As a dietitian, a lot of people ask me if I ever eat desserts or other “bad” foods. Anyone who knows me, knows that the answer is definitely yes! I believe that no foods are “bad” foods and all foods can be included in a healthy diet. For me it’s about balance, and this cruise vacation was a perfect example of that.

On the Liberty of the Seas, there was mouthwatering food at every corner it seemed. Sorrento’s pizza parlor, the 5 course dining room menu, free room service, an Italian restaurant, a steak house, and of course the endless buffet. On this ship, there was even a Ben and Jerry’s and a Johnny Rockets! So there were endless choices when it came to food, and I tried them all--just not all in one day! I had several secrets for eating whatever I wanted on my cruise, while still staying healthy and not gaining a single pound!