Labeling in Restaurants

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By: Rachel Nannola When you’re shopping at a grocery store, it’s easy to determine how many calories are in a food because it’s on the nutrition facts label. So why can’t we determine how many calories are in foods at restaurants just as easily? Well luckily, soon we’ll be able to. The FDA has finalized a rule that requires restaurants or similar retail food establishments with 20 or more locations to provide calorie content for food items on the menu. It has taken quite some time for this… Read More →

But, I Hate Vegetables!

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By: Amanda Schroeder What happens if you’ve made the decision to eat more healthfully (yay!), but the mere thought of eating vegetables makes your stomach turn? Are you doomed to a life of holding your nose while you force-feed yourself kale? Of course not! What if your children immediately turn up their noses at the mention of veggies? Should you just accept the fact that they will never like them and give up? Definitely not! Whether you have just begun on your journey or you’re a seasoned vet,… Read More →

Micronutrient Monday: All You Need to Know About Zinc

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By: Amanda Schroeder When you hear the word “zinc”, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? If you’re like me, you might be envisioning a beach full of people playing volleyball with thick, white cream covering their noses. We might not see that as much anymore (or maybe you do!), but the ability to create a barrier between UV rays and your skin is not zinc’s only talent! In fact, it is essential to several vital processes inside your body, including wound healing, immune function, and… Read More →

A New Physical Activity Plan

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By: Rachel Nannola With obesity on the rise, it’s important to remember why physical activity is so important. Physical activity helps to control body weight and reduce the risks of various diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Physical activity can also benefit your mental health, mood, and improve your ability to do daily activities. The physical activity guidelines for Americans recommend that everybody participate in at least 150 minutes per week of mixed aerobic and strength training workouts. The CDC states that only 20… Read More →

What Is a Calorie, Anyway?

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By: Amanda Schroeder We hear so much about calories that, for some, it’s easy to imagine them as little cheerleaders traveling through our bodies with their little pompoms, encouraging weight gain. Fortunately, that is not the case! Technically, calories are units of measurement, just like inches or liters. Calories measure energy. Specifically, 1 calorie is equal to the amount of energy required to raise 1 kg of water by 1 degree Celsius. Crazy, right? Our bodies both expend and require energy constantly. I am burning about 50 calories… Read More →

Micronutrient Monday: Magnesium Madness!

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By: Amanda Schroeder In your body, right now, you have about 25 g of magnesium. That’s the weight of about 25 paperclips! Magnesium is a mineral that works like a puzzle piece, providing the necessary piece for more than 300 different regulatory reactions in your body. It plays a vital role in essential processes, such as regulating blood pressure and blood glucose levels. It maintains proper nerve function and regulates muscle contraction and heart rhythm. And it assists your body in making bone, protein and, even, DNA. This… Read More →

Being Aware of Added Sugars

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By: Rachel Nannola We know sugar is not the healthiest thing for our bodies.  Sugar is okay in moderation, but the 2015 Dietary Guidelines recommend that we limit our added sugars to no more than 10% of our daily calorie needs. For example, if you were consuming 2000 calories a day, this would allow for 12 teaspoons (48 grams of sugar). One can of Coca Cola has approximately 40 grams, so that’s almost a day’s worth of sugar. Sugar is in many more items besides soda and candy. Some… Read More →

Is Your Food Safe?

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By: Amanda Schroeder Taking the first steps of changing your diet can be both scary and extremely rewarding. For many people, it not only means rethinking the way you eat, but also the way you shop and prepare your food. You might be buying foods you’ve never prepared or even eaten before. Or maybe you’ve decided to prep your meals for the whole week on one day and freeze or refrigerate them for easy access. No matter what kind of changes you’ve decided to make in the kitchen,… Read More →

Micronutrient Monday: All Things Vitamin A

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By: Amanda Schroeder So, what is vitamin A? Vitamin A is a fat-soluble compound synthesized in the body from plant pigments called carotenoids. The most well-known carotenoid (and arguably the most important) is beta-carotene, which can be found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It not only helps your body produce vitamin A, but it is also an antioxidant that can protect your cells from damage. Vitamin A is very important to so many processes in our bodies, including reproduction, immune function, and vision. It makes up part… Read More →

How Beneficial are Legumes for Your Health?

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By: Rachel Nannola Legumes (AKA: beans) include kidney, pinto, white, black, and lima beans, as well as split peas, lentils, and edamame. A recent study has been done that shows how beneficial legumes can be for overall health and even weight loss. In one study done a group of participants who ate ¾ of a cup of legumes every day lost about ¾ of a pound more than a group of participants that didn’t eat legumes in diets that weren’t even geared for weight loss. Besides weight loss,… Read More →