With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you might think it is impossible to stick to a healthy eating plan-right? Wrong! Although high calorie foods and holidays go hand in hand, it is 100% possible to stay on track! Do not let the cornucopia of food options weigh you down; it is time to kick off the holiday season right. Follow these tips to ensure you have a happy AND healthy season!
Top 10 Thanksgiving Survival Tips
1. Eat a well-balanced breakfast and lunch before your Thanksgiving extra…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on November 22, 2009 at 5:10pm —
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Many parents view their children’s excess weight as an aesthetic issue. They worry their kids won’t be liked in school, won’t be picked in gym, and won’t be pursued by members of the opposite sex. According to the American Institute of Cancer Research, parents have a lot more than looks to be concerned about. New research shows that about 100,500 new cases of cancer are caused by obesity each year.
Obesity is known to cause many deleterious health effects but this study is one of the first to c…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on November 15, 2009 at 6:25am —
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Many parents view their children’s excess weight as an aesthetic issue. They worry their kids won’t be liked in school, won’t be picked in gym, and won’t be pursued by members of the opposite sex. According to the American Institute of Cancer Research, parents have a lot more than looks to be concerned about. New research shows that about 100,500 new cases of cancer are caused by obesity each year.
Obesity is known to cause many deleterious health effects but this study is one of the first to c…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on November 15, 2009 at 6:25am —
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Stroll down any grocery aisle and you are bound to see a bevy of foods with labels proclaiming products “Healthy” or a “Smart Choice”. But are all these foods really good for you? According to Reuters, the FDA is now looking into whether these claims are a misleading marketing scheme or a true measure of a food’s nutritional value.
The FDA needs a full investigation to determine this? Even my 6-year old son could tell you that Cookie Crisp Cereal, despite the “Smart Choice” label on the front o…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on November 2, 2009 at 1:36pm —
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Personality traits, genetics, and athletic ability combine to influence kids’ attitudes toward participation in sports and other physical activities. Help your kids figure out their fitness personality based on their overall personality to ensure a lifelong love of exercise!
If your child is very social, encourage team sports, dance classes, biking, or skateboarding with a friend. These activities will keep your child active and entertained for hours.
For the introspective child, try exercises…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on November 2, 2009 at 12:36pm —
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Last month, a colleague approached me about exploring the role of acupuncture in weight loss. As a traditional Western medicine physician, I was skeptical about its merits. While many of my patients have used herbs and other holistic treatments, I have never been a believer. But, since I am willing to do anything to help my patients, I decided to use myself as a guinea pig to see if acupuncture was something I should be recommending.
First, I did some research. I wanted to know the science behi…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on October 19, 2009 at 1:32pm —
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Our worst fears have finally come true. Overweight teens are dying from heart disease. Pediatricians have long feared that the rising number of severely obese children and teens would soon start to suffer from adult complications of obesity, like heart attacks, strokes, and death. And now it is happening.
According to the St. Louis County medical examiner, a 13-year old football player who collapsed during football practice died as a direct result of “hypertensive cardiovascular disease”, also…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on October 12, 2009 at 12:15pm —
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A healthy, well-stocked kitchen can be a recipe for success if you equip yourself with a master grocery list! Certain items for the freezer, fridge and pantry are all necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here is a list of my favorite kitchen staples that no kitchen should be without.
Freezer Ready
Frozen bags of fruits and vegetables are frozen at the peak of freshness to provide the optimal amount of nutrients your body needs. Make sure you buy the items with no added salt, sugars or sa…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on October 12, 2009 at 10:58am —
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Eating at a buffet is lots of fun, especially for kids. Children get very excited about the different choices they are offered at a buffet. For some, the idea of “all you can eat” is thrilling. How can you help your child navigate a buffet without going overboard? Read on for ten simple guidelines to help your child eat at a buffet without sabotaging his diet.
Don’t sit/stand around the buffet. Make your child’s plate and then move away from the table. Looking at the food will only make your ch…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on July 14, 2009 at 12:19pm —
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It’s the summer, and you’ve just been invited to a 4th of July barbecue. You RSVP “Yes”, but in the back of your mind you’re thinking, “Ribs, hot dogs, potato salad, creamy dressings, hamburgers, icecream; How am I going to control myself?!”
Obviously, if you are attending a barbecue, it is impossible to control WHAT is there, but it is possible to control what you put on your plate and how much you eat! While you are outside with guests, make it a point to enjoy the company of others and socia…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on July 13, 2009 at 10:24am —
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Children today drink twice as much soda as they did 20 years ago, averaging as much as 20 ounces a day! A large soda not only provides tons of calories and sugar but it also includes at least 100 mg of caffeine. Many parents wouldn’t dream of giving their kids a cup of coffee yet routinely offer them soda, which contains caffeine as well. We also see many families hitting the local café or Starbucks for a café latte or mocha frappuccino loaded with the burst of ‘energy’ we call caffeine.
The tr…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on July 8, 2009 at 1:49pm —
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Healthy Birthday Snack Ideas:
A child’s school birthday celebration should be centered around the child; instead, it has become centered around cupcakes. Parents bring in these unhealthy treats and kids rejoice. Yet with the current child obesity crisis, many are rethinking this caloric tradition. In response, I have created this list of healthy birthday school celebrations. Enjoy them! And please, let me know if you have any additional suggestions.
Non-Food Options:
1) Allow extra recess tim…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on June 30, 2009 at 11:19am —
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Last week, there was an article in the NY Times about Meme Roth and her fight with her children’s school concerning school birthday parties and cupcakes.
What sets her off is the junk food served on special occasions: the cupcakes that come out for every birthday, the doughnuts her children were once given in gym, the sugary “Fun-Dip” packets that some parent provided the whole class on Valentine’s Day.
“I thought I was sending my kid to P.S. 9, not Chuck E. Cheese,” Ms. Roth, a trim, impassio…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on June 29, 2009 at 1:35pm —
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Congratulations! Your toddler is now old enough to sit in a “big boy” chair. You no longer need to strap him into a high chair. I bet you think dining out will now be much easier! Unfortunately, the difficulties are just beginning. Your toddler will now be able to explore restaurants without restraints. How can you get your child to sit at the table with you instead of wandering around on his own? Read on for some tips.
1. Be consistent. Teach your child that she must sit with you at the dinner…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on June 25, 2009 at 9:42am —
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It seems that everybody is talking about the evils of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). But what is fact and what is simply hearsay? Here we will give all the facts about HFCS.
What, exactly, is HFCS?
High-fructose corn syrup is a common sweetener and preservative. HFCS is made by changing the sugar (glucose) in cornstarch to fructose – another form of sugar. The end product is a combination of fructose and glucose. Because it extends the shelf life of processed foods and is cheaper than sugar,…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on June 21, 2009 at 1:05pm —
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Why should a child’s diet be different from an adult’s diet?
A child’s diet can not be the same as an adult’s diet for many reasons. A child’s body goes through many stages of development and his nutritional needs vary depending on which stage he is in. For example, a child in puberty requires more calories than a school-age child. Therefore, providing the correct nutritional plan at all stages of growth is crucial to ensure proper development. Let’s review several diets and why they are not sa…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on June 16, 2009 at 9:50am —
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Advertisers work hard to earn their money. They can take any food and make it sound nutritious. Very few laws protect the consumer from advertisers’ half-truths. It is up to us to learn how to tell what it a valid claim and what is just hype. How can you wade through the misleading information to find the truth? Easy… just look at the nutrition label and the ingredient list! The nutrition label and the ingredient list have all the information that you need to determine whether a food is healthy.…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on June 10, 2009 at 11:52am —
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This blog post contains my first giveaway. Read on to learn what product made me excited enough to want to share it with my readers. THREE readers will win this mystery product.
I woke up this morning, itching to move. I’ve been working so hard this week and didn’t work out. I started to write that I didn’t have time to work out but that’s not really true. Anybody can squeeze in a quick workout if she really wants to. It’s just a lame excuse. Even with everything I have going on, I could have w…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on June 9, 2009 at 1:13pm —
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I recently read a FASCINATING book called "The End of Overeating" by David A. Kessler, MD. I highly recommend it! In the book, Dr. Kessler reviews what makes some people prone to overeating. He outlines the science behind the drive to eat when you are already full. He then goes over how restaurants manipulate us to get us to eat more quickly and thus eat more food.
We are born preferring sweet tastes. Even newborns "smile" when given sugar water! But we are not just drawn to sweetness alone. As…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on June 3, 2009 at 3:30pm —
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It's Sunday evening and I am exhausted. We have been running around with the children all day and neither my husband nor I feel like cooking. The kids are too run-down to take them to a restaurant. And most fast food is really unhealthy. I can't decide what to feed the kids for dinner. I even debate playing the "Breakfast For Dinner" game and giving them a bowl of cereal. And then a commercial for KFC's New Grilled Chicken comes on TV. Hmmm... My husband and I both look at each other. Should we?…
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Added by Joanna Dolgoff on June 1, 2009 at 10:30am —
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