Author Archives: Dana

About Dana

Dana runs, she bakes, and she writes, making her perfect for us! She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Wichita State University, has a self-taught proficiency for vegan and vegetarian baking, and considers herself a lifelong learner of all things health. She lives life to the fullest in Wichita, KS with her husband.

Hold the Salt: Harvard Study Attributes 1 in 10 U.S. Deaths to High Sodium Consumption

  • A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health suggests 1 in 10 U.S. deaths is linked to salt consumption, with one in three deaths due to excessive sodium consumption occurring before the age of 70. This is compared to earlier studies that claimed sugar was more dangerous, with sugary drinks causing nearly 25,000 U.S. deaths per year.
  • “The burden of sodium is much higher than the burden of sugar-sweetened beverages. That’s because sugar-sweetened beverages are just one type of food that people can avoid, whereas sodium is in everything,” said Harvard epidemiologist Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, author of both the salt and sugar studies.
  • The research is based on 247 surveys looking at sodium intake and 107 clinical trials measuring how salt affects blood pressure, and specifically how blood pressure attributes to cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
  • Bread and cheese are the top two source of sodium in the U.S., making sodium a sneaky ingredient that nearly everyone consumes daily, likely in too great of quantities. (more…)
Posted on March 22, 2026 by Dana

Joni Henderson Lost 120 Pounds and Became a Piloxing Instructor

Years of putting her health on the back burner led Joni Henderson of Westerville, Ohio to weigh nearly 300 pounds. Despite being a skinny child and even bearing the nickname “Bony Joni” in college, a lifelong struggle with eating coupled with the hectic schedule of raising four kids ultimately left her overweight and not in control of her health.

“I ate whatever I wanted, and raising a family left me little time to be active,” she said. “I continued to put on weight as I buried myself in volunteering for my kids’ schools and activities. We were so busy. I would drop one child off, drive thru a fast food drive thru for food and on we went. I never took time for myself.”

Two things caused Joni to change: Going up from a 22 to a 24 dress size, and having to buy a 3XL instead of a 2XL. “I was 47, three years from 50, and I decided I didn’t want to be obese at 50 for fear of health problems,” she said. “I was the one who sat on the couch watching Biggest Loser with nachos or a bowl of ice cream in my lap.” (more…)

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Dana

Danni Allen Interview: How the Biggest Loser Winner Will Maintain Her 121 Pound Weight Loss

Fans of the Biggest Loser are still abuzz after a jaw-dropping finale that crowned 26-year-old fan-favorite Danni Allen the ultimate winner. In her 11 weeks on the ranch Danni managed to lose a total of 95 pounds, and then returned home to lose another 26 pounds, for a combined total weight loss of 121 pounds.

Not only did Allen have the pleasure of being crowned the Biggest Loser 14 out of 15 competitive contestants, she also walked away with the $250,000 grand prize. Not a bad perk for losing nearly half your weight.

Allen, who documented her Biggest Loser journey on Diets In Review throughout season 14, quickly became a fan favorite due to her relentlessly positive spirit and determination to succeed. Her hard work paid off as she managed to win all but two of the challenges set before her despite being the only remaining white team member under Jillian Michaels by week 5. (more…)

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Dana

Food Blogger Spotlight: Erin Alderson of Naturally Ella

Erin Alderson is one of those bloggers that you can’t help but imagine rummaging through her abundant garden on Sunday mornings, cooking away a hearty stew on a cold winter day, and spending her nights cozied up to a cup of tea, dreaming up amazing, seasonal and healthy vegetarian recipes for the enjoyment of her readers.

I don’t know how accurate of a picture that really is, but based on the beautiful and healthy recipes that flow from her blog Naturally Ella, I can’t imagine she spends her time doing much else.

Erin has been one of my favorite bloggers for the last year or so as I seek to eat more whole, honest-to-goodness real foods for the betterment of my health. If you visit her site, I know she can help you do the same.

I recently had the extreme pleasure of chit-chatting with Erin about her blog and her approach to health. Here’s what she had to say. (more…)

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Dana

The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Yoga

You can’t find a hair tie, your yoga mat is packed away in a box somewhere, and dinner has to be on the table in 45 minutes. Don’t have time for yoga? Yeah, me neither. Thankfully, though, our resident yoga expert Jill Lawson has provided a few tips and tricks for those of us “lazy girls” who want to practice yoga more regularly but sometimes lack the time, resources and know-how to do so.

What would an at-home routine look like for someone who can’t afford to join a yoga studio?
Just as it is in a yoga studio, the environment is an important part of the at-home yoga experience. Light up some incense or candles, play some soothing music, and turn up the thermostat just a bit. Setting the mood and creating an environment as peaceful as the yoga studio can be just as profound when practicing yoga at home. Always begin with a warm-up of some sort. For more vigorous practices, 5-10 rounds of sun salutations will get the blood flowing. For more gentle practices, a few rounds of cat-cow pose will suffice. The bulk of the practice can take many forms, but each session should still end with a few minutes of final relaxation, otherwise known as savasana, or corpse pose. (more…)

Posted on March 15, 2026 by Dana

Sloane Maymon Lost 60 Pounds on Jenny Craig and Became an Active Mom Again

Sloane Maymon of Branford, Connecticut, had good reason to lose weight: At the age of 45 her father had a massive heart attack and underwent quadruple bypass surgery, and her mother also suffered from heart disease. This family history caused concern for her own heart health, which left Sloane not wanting to follow in her parents’ footsteps.

Though weight didn’t become an issue until later in life, Sloane’s struggles with eating had seemingly always been present. “I’ve never had a healthy relationship with food. Even as a child and young adult I misused food and was never taught the value of nutrition.”

Shortly after getting married at the age of 25, Sloane starting gaining a few pounds here and there. After her first child at the age of 29, she found found it difficult to lose the baby weight. “I assumed it was normal now that I was a mom to carry a few extra pounds. With each passing year and then another baby, I just kept putting on more and more weight.” (more…)

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Dana

NYC Soda Ban Deemed Illegal by State Judge

  • A state judge deemed the New York City Soda Ban proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg illegal on Monday, meaning the ban will not take effect as planned on Tuesday, March 12.
  • New York Supreme Court Judge Milton Tingling made his decision after finding the regulations “fraught with arbitrary and capricious consequences.” He went on to say, “The simple reading of the rule leads to the earlier acknowledged uneven enforcement even within a particular city block, much less as a whole…the loopholes in this rule effectively defeat the purpose of the rule.”
  • The regulation would’ve banned the sale of sugary beverages larger than 16 ounces, with the exception of fruit juices, milkshakes, alcoholic beverages, and coffee. This would have affected restaurants, food carts and vendors, delis and concession stands at movie theaters and the like.
  • Mayor Bloomberg reportedly did not anticipate the ban being blocked, and even recently stated “I think you’re not going to see a lot of push back here.” (more…)
Posted on March 11, 2026 by Dana

Food Blogger Spotlight: Kathryne Taylor of Cookie and Kate

I’m not quite sure how Kathryne Taylor of Cookie and Kate and I crossed paths, but I can’t express how happy I am that we did. Kate and her adorable pooch, Cookie, never cease to make me smile when I visit their site. Obviously Kate holds more creative control, but Cookie is there to catch all the crumbs, which is a noble duty if you ask me.

If you visit Kate’s blog expect to find some of the most creative, whole foods recipes on the web. Every time she publishes a post it feels like Christmas in my heart and I bookmark the recipe for later use. In fact, of all the bloggers I follow, I’ve made more of Kate’s recipes than anyone else’s and they’ve all been delicious! Especially her no cook fudge – simply a must.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kate about her blog and her approach to health. Here’s what she had to say. (more…)

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Dana

Saturday Morning Drill: Lower Body Blitz

It’s the weekend – time to relax, unwind and blow off some steam from a long work week, right? What better way to de-stress than with exercise? Today we have a simple, 7-move workout that requires no equipment and tones and tightens your entire lower body. Get ready for classics like deep squats and side kicks, as well as a few new moves like the “runner’s start” and standing split kicks.

So get your workout gear on and do this workout, no matter if you’re at home, outside or spending time at a friend’s house. If you have 10-15 minutes, you have time to whip your lower body into shape. Let’s get started! And afterwards, don’t forget to check out these 5 tips to survive the weekend.

View Saturday Morning Drills: The Lower Body Blitz Slideshow

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Dana

Melissa Dunn Overcame a Victim Mentality and Lost 135 Pounds

Melissa Dunn, 35, of Park Hills, Missouri has seemingly always been overweight. She developed much faster than girls her age, which spurred a binge-purge routine to try and stay as slim as her peers. But each attempt only left her heavier than before, and Melissa eventually turned to yo yo dieting to try and lose the weight.

Compound those struggles with emotional scars from abuse she faced as a child and Melissa began using her weight as a shield to avoid getting hurt by others. “I found the bigger I got the less happy I was, and the less people wanted to be around me,” she said.

Two things eventually caused Melissa to change. First, her dad had grown so heavy that his doctors told him to lose weight or face death, and Melissa wanted to support him. And Melissa had gotten so heavy herself that she struggled to even walk through the store without getting swollen ankles which left her in too much pain to move for hours afterwards.

Out of these struggles came Melissa’s decision to change her health and ultimately her life, and no longer exist in a state of depression. (more…)

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Dana

Kraft Fresh Take Commercials Bring Real Food to the Spotlight

The other night my husband and I were knee deep into one of our favorite sitcoms on Hulu when a commercial interrupted our program. This is usually the opportune time for me to take a bathroom or wine break since I’m generally put off by commercials. They all tend to be a bit on the cheesy side, altogether irrelevant, or completely disconnected from reality. I blame it on the overdone drug commercials, but they’re all pretty bad if you ask me.

But this commercial by Kraft Foods struck a different chord with me and caught me by surprise with its message of cooking real food. Quite the revolutionary idea, isn’t it?

From what I gather, Kraft is about real food and that’s a principle they’ve modeled most of their products after. I’m not saying they’re all perfect, some containing ingredients I’m not 100 percent on board with. But I appreciate that they’re trying to create more wholesome products that can be used in conjunction with fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins to help their customers create healthy, satisfying meals for the whole family. Any time someone is in the kitchen instead of in a restaurant, that’s progress to me. (more…)

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Dana