Mr. Bad Food feels a need to come clean this holiday season. Not only do I watch American Idol, but over the years I have used my home phone to cast votes for a select few contestants. The only eventual winner I voted for: Carrie Underwood who took top honors in Season 4.So why I am risking my Man's Club membership with such a confession? The truth is I was seeking a lead-in for today's blog on Carrie's fitness and diet secrets!The gorgeous queen of country music discusses all aspects of her life in the January issue of Self magazine,...
Do you hear what I hear? A paunch of politically correct individuals is waging a smear campaign against our beloved Titan of Toys, Santa Claus!The issue: Santa's jelly belly! Some folks who are bound to end up on the naughty list are claiming a fat Santa is not only a bad Santa but also a poor role model for our youth! "I'm pushing to reduce the size of Santa by 25 percent," said Ernest Berger, president of Santa America, a non-profit that arranges Santa visits for kids in tumultuous home situations.With an elfish twinkle in his eye, Berger told The...
Oprah's got her Book Club and Mr. Bad Food has his Book Nook.Consider this a place where you can get insights into hot-off-the-presses releases like this month's gem: Love Your Body, Love Your Life by body image expert Sarah Maria.While New Year's is often a time for hope, the bustling end-of-the-year holiday season can be a time when we are especially hard on ourselves.We feel fat or maybe we're depressed about our inability to stick with a diet. We get to a point where we don't even like to look into a mirror.Sarah Maria wants to end your negative body...
I don't know about you but whenever I see TV commercials that show active men and women looking all smiling and happy because they take vitamins or supplements... well, I start to feel bad about the fact that I do not choke down such things on a regular basis.I usually make a mental vow to start taking a daily vitamin. The new gummy ones for adults are especially attractive to a kid at heart like Mr. Bad Food.But after watching a recent Good Morning America report that basically says most people can get the vitamins and minerals they need from...
The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to pull the popular weight loss drug Meridia from the market. The group says the drug needs to be yanked immediately because of heart-related risks.Public Citizen claims 84 heart-related deaths have been reported to the FDA in patients who took Meridia. Thirty of the people who've died were reportedly 50 or younger, and 11 were 30 or younger."We would hope that the science behind the results seen in this study would mandate the only appropriate FDA action to protect the public health: immediate removal of Meridia from...
Here in Eastern Pennsylvania they give the school kids an extended Thanksgiving holiday. I think the real reason there is no school the Monday after turkey day is because close to one million well-armed hunters hit the woods for the first day of deer season.I am not a hunter -- never have been -- but I am a parent, so what this means to me is that my two kids have an extra day to run wild, run free. And as most parents will grudgingly admit, any day that the kids are home from school is a holiday from dieting...
Diet-to-Go now offers five weeks worth of super delicious meals that are a perfect fit for people suffering from diabetes. It's our popular Diabetes-friendly Traditional line of meals that were crafted to fit within the guidelines set forth by the American Diabetes Association.Here's what Diet-to-Go's registered dietitian Rebecca Mohning MS, RD, LD has to say."Diet-to-Go meal plans are beneficial for customers trying to lose weight AND control their blood glucose levels. The meals are portion controlled so there is no need to worry about carbohydrate counting and keeping track of calories for weight loss."The meals offer a diet low in...
This Thanksgiving will mark a first for my family - we're going out to dinner at a restaurant rather than host family or visit family for our turkey day meal.My wife refuses to make a complete break from tradition so she will be roasting a turkey breast Thanksgiving morning so we will at least have "leftovers" for sandwiches.My question: Can they truthfully be leftovers when the turkey breast will go untouched on Thanksgiving? Hmmm... Anyway, while I am looking forward to a fuss-free holiday for a change, I must admit I am a little saddened by the prospect of sharing...
Special for DiettoGo.comby Frederic J. Vagnini, M.D., FACS, & Lawrence D. ChilnickAuthors of The Weight Loss Plan for Beating DiabetesDuring the holiday season many dedicated dieters or those who follow special diets for diabetes, heart disease or other conditions not only "fall off the wagon" but also leap into the deep end of the pool. Don't feel guilty. This is a normal reaction to attending large family dinners where everyone makes food loaded with seductive carbohydrates.We also go to multiple parties -- sometimes on the same day -- where the hosts have hired caterers who specialize in delicious appetizers and...
Special for DiettoGo.comby Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D.,Author of The Whole-Food Guide to Strong BonesLet me make very clear what the best foods are for the bones -- in this order:1. Vegetables, especially leafy greens, and also roots and stalks (for the iron and calcium, and for vitamins K and C, which, together with protein, help deposit the collagen matrix)2. Protein, such as animal foods, beans, and soy foods (for the collagen matrix)3. Stock (for the minerals)4. Whole grains (for the magnesium)5. Foods rich in trace minerals, such as seaweeds, nuts, and seeds6. Edible bones (for the calcium and other minerals)7. Healthy...
When I meet with a client for the first time my job is find their motivation. So I always ask, "What drives you?" I can tell you absolutely that no two people are driven exactly the same.The factors that trigger our desire for wellness are as individual as our fingerprints.Is it health, vanity, our children, our spouse? A bet perhaps... or peer pressure to conform. Some of us are searching for the Fountain of Youth or we have a desire to fit into our skinny jeans again. Maybe it's the glitzy magazines and TV shows that serve up...
I awoke to sobering news yesterday. The morning news shows took the fizz out of my dieting joy by mentioning a new study that indicates people who drink two or more diet sodas a day double their risk of kidney function decline!Darn. On a good day I may drink as many as four 8-ounce servings of diet soda.I've tried to go the water only route but I find I just need a touch of sweetness and taste to my liquid intake.According to WebMD, "About 20 million Americans have some evidence of chronic kidney disease... Kidney disease diagnoses have doubled...
I ain't afraid of no ghost...I ain't afraid of no witch, either.What really frightens me this Halloween season are the fun-sized candy bars that will jam my children's goodie bags - and turn dad's belly to jelly!Yes, they dare call them fun size even though there's nothing fun about overindulging on your favorite - and even your not-so-favorite - candies and treats at Halloween.What's also scary is that I've found in recent years that a growing number of well-meaning guys and ghouls have started handing out king-sized candy bars as their terrifying treat of choice!If you ask me, king is...
Jack LaLanne, Susan Powter, Richard Simmons, Jazzercise, Dwight Eisenhower, Pilates, Billy Blanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John F. Kennedy...What am I getting exactly? Well, they are all part of the history of fitness.Fitness, for Americans per se, became popular in the 1950's, when Eisenhower was president. In sum, an exercise fitness test was conducted on America children to then be compared against children in European countries. It was during the Cold War so competition was everything.Unfortunately, we did not fare well. Subsequently, President Eisenhower took the first steps toward gaining national attention for the failing fitness levels of our country. Later...
Special for DiettoGo.comby Sarah Maria,author of Love Your Body, Love Your LifeHow many times have you waited for something to change so that you could finally start feeling beautiful? If you are like most women, the answer is "all the time."Here is the problem: Most of us tend to live with the delusional belief that we somehow need to change in order to be beautiful. It usually sounds something like:When I lose this extra weight, then I will be attractive.If I can just get my abs a little more toned, then I can wear that bikini I love.I feel so...
DiettoGo.com reader Sally K. recently asked me this interesting question: Are there gender differences with regard to food cravings?YES Sally... there are important differences regarding our biological needs, which create different cravings.Estrogen causes cravings for fat/sugar combinations to create our beautiful breasts, hips and thighs, which aid us during pregnancy. Testosterone creates cravings for fat/protein combinations to build strong muscles for the "hunt."Doesn't it ring true that women want their sweets but men want their steaks?See, it's not our fault; it's hormonal!Additionally, women have lower levels of serotonin, the brain chemical which regulates calmness, wellbeing and depression. Precursors of serotonin...
Who doesn't want fewer colds, softer skin or youthful vitality? Frances Sheridan Goulart, author of the ever-popular Super Healing Foods (McGraw-Hill), now brings you a program for the 25 foods that strengthen the body's six immune centers and help heal and reverse the most common ailments. Super Immunity Foods: A Complete Program to Boost Wellness, Speed Recovery, and Keep Your Body Strong (McGraw-Hill) focuses on the top 25 foods and provides a simple plan that you can easily incorporate into your lifestyle.With delicious recipes and complete menus, the newer, healthier you is just within reach. Ready to achieve optimal...
Special for DiettoGo.comby Susan Burke March, MS, RD, LD/N, CDEAuthor of Making Weight Control Second NatureAre you looking for love in all the wrong places? If it's food for love and sexual desire, your corner Italian bistro is your best bet. Select these foods, some red wine, definitely some soft lighting, and perhaps a misty rain and voila... romance is on the menu. An aphrodisiac is a food, drink, drug, scent, or device that can arouse or increase sexual desire, or libido. When looking at the list of foods that have traditionally been considered "foods of love,...
Emotional eating is not always just emotional eating. Sometimes, it is a full-fledged addiction with obvious-and very serious-consequences.Acknowledging this addiction is the first step. Just ask yourself how many people you know who have endangered their health through eating! The fact is, once food is "installed" in an individual's mental computer as a way to deal with problems or stress, it can become so deeply embedded in his or her mind and so important that he or she would literally die to keep it. It is hard to describe the intensity of this addiction because it is so commonplace and...
This week's blog focuses on how whole fitness can impact diabetes.It seems you can't pick up a newspaper or magazine without seeing a feature on the diabetes epidemic overwhelming the U.S. and other westernized nations.Although 8% of the population has this disease, there's still a lot of confusion as to what is diabetes.There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational. All are caused by the body's inability to make or utilize insulin. Without enough insulin glucose stays in the blood and can subsequently cause damage to the kidneys, heart, eyes, nerves and other organs.Type 2 diabetes...
