May 27th, 2009 by AmyJo
For those of you who haven’t heard, I have to share with you the biggest news of my life up to this point… On October 10th, 2009 I will be marrying my best friend in the whole world! We are so excited and busily planning the big day.
And part of the planning involves dress shopping…which I was doing last night. Bridezilla happened to be trying on dresses in the fitting room adjacent to mine. It’s no secret that many brides try to lose weight to look their best for their wedding day, but apparently bridezilla has a lot of weight to lose. She’s planning on losing 30lbs by August, and she plans to do it by not eating anything all day but a granola bar and yelling at the fitting room attendant to burn calories. Really?!
While this poor girl didn’t know that she was giving nutritionista in the room next to her good material to write about, a lot of people identify with her. Starving yourself to lose a bunch of weight really quickly sounds morbidly unpleasant but somewhat successful in theory, only it actually is the worst possible way to lose weight. You see, when you don’t eat, your metabolism turns to mush and Read the rest of this entry »
May 14th, 2009 by AmyJo
I started grad school this week. Yikes. Talk about stress. But when it’s over (a mere 18 short months!) I plan on being the best darn health communicator out there. Go me! In the meanwhile, I’m sure there will be some stressful days…like today, and the syllabus shock I’m feeling.
But you all probably have plenty of stressful days too- probably even more stressful than Read the rest of this entry »
May 6th, 2009 by AmyJo
As a child, I thought I could convince my dad to buy me a new dress because “Daddy, I need it! If I dont have it I wont have anything to wear!” Of course 7-year old girls are oblivious to the weightlessness their arguments hold, and the response usually was something along the lines of, “You want that dress, but you don’t need it, and might I remind you that you will have plenty of things to wear if you don’t have that one.” Pfffft!
Thanks to my dad, I now have some Read the rest of this entry »
April 30th, 2009 by AmyJo
You know what I just love about nutrition? It impacts almost everything. If you want to fix a problem, you can usually find a food fix for it. Tired? Get iron from protein like steak. Stressed? Get magnesium and B vitamins from whole grains. Confused and forgetful? Boost your memory with blueberries.
But for vanity sake, we’re going to talk about shiny hair, vibrant skin, and strong nails. Basically, your hair, nails, and skin are a reflection of your diet. It’s like accountability times a bazillion. You can’t eat pizza and coke every day for lunch and expect to have Pantene hair and Sally Hansen nails. Sorry. If your nails are chipping or your hair is lack-luster, you might want to start making some dietary changes. That’s not to write off other factors like over processing etc, but for the normal person, a poor diet is the culprit for dull skin and unhealthy hair and nails.
So, your goal is glamour, and now Read the rest of this entry »
April 15th, 2009 by AmyJo
Variety is the spice of life, right? Maybe, if you’re talking about exercise, or clothing, or books. But let’s set the record straight. When you’re talking about your plate, unless it’s full of vegetables, variety is not the best option.
A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research finds that the more variety people are offered on their plate, the more overall food they consume. It makes sense too. Think about Thanksgiving dinner. Why is it that you always seem to end up Read the rest of this entry »
February 23rd, 2009 by AmyJo
Let’s be honest. I’m a little obsessed with oral hygene. But some faithful flossing and brushing never hurt anyone. In fact, you might get an added health bonus besides just minty fresh breath.
Research shows that periodontal disease (inflammation of the gums caused from plaque build up) and heart disease Read the rest of this entry »
February 19th, 2009 by AmyJo
Sometimes it seems like a mean trick that our bodies play on us. We are stressed out, we have a bazillion things to do, no time to do it all, and then to top it off, our clothes start to fit bad– the muffin top appears, and we get even more stressed out. Ahh. How do we stop Read the rest of this entry »
February 12th, 2009 by AmyJo
Next time you’re prowling around the kitchen for a midnight snack, just go back to sleep. You’re not really hungry, you’re dreaming…
Wake-up call! Studies show that when healthy adults get 4 hours of sleep for even just 2 nights in a row, the hunger causing hormone, called ghrelin, in our bodies increases by 28%! Resultant of the increase in ghrelin, study participant’s appetites also increased by an enormous 23%. Getting less than 6 hours of sleep on a regular basis will have a similarly poor effect on your decision making skills: aka, resisting junk Read the rest of this entry »
February 4th, 2009 by AmyJo
I recently read an article about mindfulness and how it improves so many areas of your life, including your health! If that sounds strange, just think about it for a minute (no pun intended).
Specifically related to nutrition, when we take time to think about and savor foods, such as the unique flavors in a pasta dish, or the Read the rest of this entry »
January 29th, 2009 by AmyJo
Whether or not we were a part of it, we all know about the “in-group” from our yesteryears. New research shows that our health behaviors are correlated with our perceived identity.
A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that when people associate a particular behavior with the “out group,” they are less likely to participate in that action. For instance, if we were led to believe that gangsters (an out-group) ate junk food, we are more likely to choose healthier foods so as to not be associated with the “out group.” Read the rest of this entry »
