photo by Masala Cha Photography

I was walking through the mall the other day and I saw a stand selling all kinds of books and products for something called the “cookie diet.” I laughed. Out loud. Are you serious? Yes, they are… that is the sad part.

People are so confused when it comes to exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight loss. We’re an obese nation, so it makes sense that we’d be desperate. But let’s set the facts straight- no short term plan will do any long-term good. Period. Read: do not buy into the cookie diet, the grapefruit diet, the potato chip diet (ok, that one doesn’t exist, but if the cookie diet exists, the potato chip diet probably isn’t far behind)…

A recent article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied the different effects Read the rest of this entry »

photo by Lara Ferroni

Cherries are about as all-American as apple pie. Minus the fat and laborious effort to prepare a good crust. And because I’m flat out sick of the exotic berry craze stealing attention from other great super-foods, I’m about to toot some cherry horn.

Like other berries, cherries contain plentiful antioxidants, but that’s just the tip of the iceburg. Researchers at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular center found that cherry-rich diets reduce both cholesterol and inflammation. Also in the study, animals fed cherry-enhanced diets had 14% lower body fat than the other animals.

But my favorite thing about cherries (besides the sweet deliciousness that they are in your mouth) is the sleep-aiding effect they offer. Cherries are one of just a few food sources of an antioxidant called melatonin. Melatonin is usually Read the rest of this entry »

photo by SRSLYLOLZ

What a exercise/>loser! As in the exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight of course. One of the most tried and true exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight loss tools is keeping a food log of everything you eat. And in the age of convenience, iPhone users have an indispensable tool that makes it super easy for you to drop those last 5 pounds (or 15, or 20) and get on the fast track to living a healthier life.

In the burgeoning world of iPhone apps, there is one particular exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight loss tool that, in a word, rocks. Lose It, is an efficient, expansive, and free (we are in a recession people!) app that tracks all the food you eat, the nutrients you take in, and the calories you burn exercising. There are hundreds and hundreds of foods to choose from and you control the portion size calculated (your hips don’t lie about those 2 brownies you ate last night, you Read the rest of this entry »