Holiday Eating Out: Don’t Be a Fast Food Giant

Posted by on Jul 1, 2011 in Blog | 1,756 comments

Eating out this holiday weekend, or anytime during the summer, the familiar and cheap can be alluring. Even the giants of fast food don’t have to be huge digressions from your commitment to eating healthily, if you are an educated consumer. Here are some things to keep in mind when perusing the fast food menus: Arby’s Think Twice About: A small Curly fries has 450 calories , 210 from fat! The numbers for the steakhouse onion rings are almost identical. Just two potato cakes will give you 250 calories, 140 from fat (15 g). The...

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Eating out While Traveling: Ethnic Foods

Posted by on Jun 24, 2011 in Blog | 1,054 comments

It’s summertime! Whether on family vacation stateside, or traveling to far off lands, ethnic food can be a real treat. However, it can also pack on the pounds even faster than normal holiday eating. Here are some things to think twice about, and some L.E.A.N.-er options to keep you on your path to healthy eating choices: Cajun Think Twice About: Hush puppies, fried seafood, gumbos, etouffee sauces, blackened fish and dirty rice. L.E.A.N. Options: creoles, jumbalayas, boiled crawfish, boiled shrimp, white rice. Chinese Food Think Twice...

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What are you looking for on your Nutrition Label?

Posted by on Jun 17, 2011 in Blog | 1,827 comments

Nutritional labels are pretty straightforward.* One of the most important aspects of the nutrition label is the serving size. If you just glance at the daily values and number of calories, you might think there were only 250 calories in the macaroni and cheese you were eating. However, for this item, the serving size that is the basis of the numbers and percentages listed, is just 1 cup. Some manufacturers try to fool you into thinking you are eating fewer calories by making serving sizes almost impossibly small. One certain, famous blue box...

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Best, Healthy Hotels for Summer Travel

Posted by on Jun 10, 2011 in Blog | 1,073 comments

Summer time is upon us. Will you travel with your family? Business travel scheduled during the sizzling summer? What hotels are doing the right things for their patrons? Within the last few years, USA Today published an article showcasing those hotels that are providing lighter options for its patrons. Among those quoted, Starwood Hotels, (whose brands include Sheraton, Westin and W) reported it was eliminating all trans fat at its 400 plus hotels in North America and the Caribbean. Similarly, Marriott, Loews, Hampton’s, Red Lion and...

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L.E.A.N. Guide Ahead of the USDA

Posted by on Jun 3, 2011 in Blog | 281 comments

When I wrote my book last year, I recommended a plate portioning model for eating, referring to the image above, from the American Diabetic Association. What a surprise that the USDA has finally caught up and has ditched the food pyramid and from now on will be promoting the following: The first line of defense in eating L.E.A.N. is to try to eat a balanced diet. Remember, I don’t believe in “diet” as a verb, I mean this in terms of the variety and amounts of what you eat. Despite the claims of several fad diets, we do need carbs in...

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