One of the most common questions I am asked as a nutrition coach is my feelings on cheat meals and whether I encourage clients to take them. Cheat meals are, by definition, a meal that does not follow the prescribed nutrition plan. Generally, these meals are high in carbohydrates, fats, sodium, and…
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Good nutrition and lifestyle play big roles in keeping your heart healthy. You can decrease your risk of heart disease by making smart food choices. Fill up on fiber-rich whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and lentils. Choose plant-based fats, such as avocado, nuts, seeds and olive oil, instead of animal-based…
Building muscle takes time. Here’s how long you can expect it to take, and how to speed up the process. Building muscle takes much longer than most people realize. It’s a slow — almost excruciatingly slow — process that can feel discouraging when you don’t see the muscle definition…
According to a meta analysis[1], the following are the best ways to ensure cardiovascular health: Abbreviation note: CVD= cardiovascular disease, CHD= coronary heart disease. Replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat: For every 5% increase in polyunsaturated fat reduce CVD risk by 10% Reduce consumption of processed meats: For every 50…
Vegetarian meals are gaining in popularity — even among regular meat-eaters. As more and more individuals reduce their meat intake, one essential question remains: Are vegetarian and vegan diets healthy? The answer is yes. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful,…
Recent research published in Obesity shows what successful MyFitnessPal users know to be true: Small, simple lifestyle changes, aka micro-goals, can boost your likelihood of losing weight and keeping it off for good. “Micro-strategies are the way to go,” says Keith-Thomas Ayoob, RD. “They’re easy to do, produce small but…
Eating and sleeping are basic human needs that go hand in hand in many ways. It’s no surprise that what you eat before going to bed affects the quality of your sleep. “The foods we eat before bed can give us the nudge we need to make good sleep great…
When you’re working on improving your healthy eating habits, some strategies are pretty obvious, such as adding more veggies to each meal and sipping on more water. Other advice, like “eating everything in moderation,” can be a little trickier to define. In other words, what does moderation mean? “Moderation means including…
Thanksgiving is a day to reflect, give thanks and enjoy some delicious food — with the daunting challenge of not overdoing the calories. While the tryptophan in turkey might make you sleepy (hello, food coma), it’s possible to indulge in your favorite foods without going overboard. With a little planning (Think: a well-balanced…
It can be easy to view hunger as a bad thing — and while it’s certainly an inconvenient feeling — it’s as innate as the need to yawn or go to the bathroom. In fact, hunger is a crucial biological signal. To understand this, a refresher of the autonomic nervous…