In 2009, the International Food Information Council Foundation conducted the fourth annual, Food & Health Survey, a analysis of Americans’ attitudes towards food, nutrition and health. Before Dr. Wansink presented us his sage advice for how to navigate our way through the food-filled holidays, he discussed a few of his key findings from the 2009 survey. Below are the most salient highlights:

• Twenty-five percent of Americans said that they are active for at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week.
• The top motivators for being active are to lose weight followed by to improve appearance.
• Forty percent of Americans do not use any resources to improve their diet – no pills, no special diet books, no hypnosis.
• At any given time, 53 percent of Americans are trying to lose weight.
• For those looking to lose weight, 71 percent are trying to change the amount of food they eat, 65 percent are trying to change what kinds of food they eat and less than 20 percent are counting calories.
• The biggest barrier to staying on track with weight loss goals is not seeing results quick enough (44 percent) followed by lack of will power (43 percent).

So before you sit down to your holiday meal, Dr. Wansink recommends to be aware of the following open invitations for overeating.

• Large portion sizes can cause us to eat more, even if we don’t really like the taste of the food being offered. His studies have shown that the larger the portion size, the more we eat. Therefore, prevent mindless overeating by using measuring devices to control how much you eat, ask yourself if you’re truly hungry for the food in front of you or whether you’re just eating because it’s there and use smaller plates and serving dishes.
• Keep tabs of just how hungry you are. Most of us think we are full when our plate is clean. But being a member of the clean plate club is not doing any favors for our expanding waistlines. Instead, pause every few minutes in between forkfuls of stuffing and sweet potatoes to determine just how satiated you are. Stop when you feel content or about 80 percent full.
• Don’t fall for diet-sabotaging mental rationalizations. From “I made it, I deserve it,” to “pre-loading” on appetizers, nuts, or turkey samples and to the “happy host,” who eats to please, mentally prepare yourself by thinking about what you are going to eat and how much you are going to eat beforehand so that you’ll feel satisfied over what you ate and proud over your self-control once all the dishes have been served, cleaned and put away.

Happy Holidays!

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Prevent Holiday Weight Gain & Avoid Mindless Eating

Four Ways To Celebrate with Thanks Instead of Turkey  

This holiday, focus on appreciating the people around you and giving to those less fortunate than you with four simple but powerful gestures.

Learn about the Hungry Girl’s Healthy Holiday Tips                                                               

Lisa Lillien, the colorful and creative soul behind the Hungry Girl, shares with us some of her most fool-proof cooking tips and advice for a guilt-free but delicious Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Fitness Tips and a Thanksgiving Workout

Fearful that your Thanksgiving buffet will pack on the pounds? From a Thanksgiving workout that will supercharge your metabolism to learning about five fitness tips to keep the pounds off, we have what you need to keep your holidays healthy and fun.

Avoid the Thanksgiving Day Food Coma

Learn what hormones and neurotransmitters are involved in putting you in a near catatonic food coma and a few ways to avoid this post Thanksgiving meal slumber.

Low-Fat Diets Improve Mood

Just as you’re about to dig into that third slice of pumpkin pie, keep in mind the new research that illustrates a low-fat diet may help with long-term mood improvement.

Prevention’s New 400-Calorie Fix

Even though Prevention Magazine’s new diet book, the 400-Calorie Fix has not yet been released, we have a sneak peek into what this simple calorie-counting diet plan involves.

New Diet Reviews – Now with more than 1000 published!

• 400 Calorie Fix                                                                                                      
• The Conscious Cook
• Vibro Belt
• StepGym
• Liposom
• Appesat
• Adios
• Lipobind
• Dynaslim

New Diet Videos and Diet Slideshows

• Video: Ellie Krieger’s Stuffed Turkey Breast
• Video: How to Have a Healthy Thanksgiving
• Video: Mike Morelli’s Biggest Loser Recap Episode 10
• Slideshow: Rebecca Meyer’s Biggest Loser Journey
• Slideshow: Biggest Loser Season 8 Makeover
   

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Weight Loss News In Review – Week of November 15

This guest blog was written exclusively for

With an estimated 57 million Americans with pre-diabetes, the American Diabetes Association offers an online tool that helps people understand their personal risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

My Health Advisor takes into account a person’s specific risk factors, such as family history and lifestyle choices, as well as other factors like access to health care, to determine their risk for developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The online calculator immediately reflects and readjusts a person’s risk outcome based on small changes they make in their lives, such as losing five or ten pounds, quitting smoking or taking a daily aspirin.

Unlike other online health calculators, My Health Advisor uses the powerful and unique health simulation program, Archimedes. Archimedes pulls together large amounts of clinical research data to make highly accurate predictions about a person’s health risks. The software creates a virtual reality in which all relevant factors that can impact a person’s health in the real world match the factors in the simulated world. To further ensure accurate assessments, the results have been compared directly with real-life clinical trial results and have a nearly perfect correlation with the outcomes of actual patients.

Results from a 2008 Omnibus survey conducted by the Association indicate that the majority of adults ages 40 and older are at risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Furthermore, those surveyed do not acknowledge their control over developing these conditions, and see little motivation to lose weight and lead healthier lives.

“Type 2 diabetes is preventable with healthy lifestyle choices. With 1.6 million new cases of diabetes diagnosed each year and heart disease and stroke accounting for two out of three diabetes-related deaths, the need to educate people about and accurately assess their risk of developing these diseases is at an all time high,” said Peter Sheehan, M.D., CheckUp America committee chair. My Health Advisor is an extremely powerful tool that we can use to help people not only understand their risk, but take proactive steps to a healthier life.”

Users of My Health Advisor benefit from a customized risk assessment and personalized prevention tips for living healthier lives and taking action to reduce the risk of developing life-threatening diseases. Clinicians can also use My Health Advisor with their patients to develop prevention plans with their patients. 

For more information on My Health Advisor and to access the online calculator, visit CheckUpAmerica.

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Online Calculator Estimates Diabetes Risk

According to a recent article in The New York Times, exercise not just enhances mood and reduces anxiety but scientists are on the groundbreaking cusp of understanding the physiological processes that enable you to feel that amazing workout high after a long run or trek on the treadmill.

We have long known that exercise enables the growth of new brain cells. But at an October meeting for the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, researchers from Princeton University revealed a startling revelation: In response to exercise, brains are calmer and more able to respond to stressful stimuli than brains that have not been exposed to regular exercise.

While the research was conducted on rats, the study does hold powerful implications for the far-reaching benefits of exercise in humans.

According to The New York Times, rats whose oxidative-stress levels had been artificially increased with injections of certain chemicals were extremely anxious when faced with unfamiliar terrain during laboratory testing. But rats that had exercised, even if they had received the oxidizing chemical, were relatively nonchalant under stress.

“It looks more and more like the positive stress of exercise prepares cells and structures and pathways within the brain so that they’re more equipped to handle stress in other forms,” says Michael Hopkins, a graduate student affiliated with the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Laboratory at Dartmouth.

So if you find yourself this week waiting in an airport line 200 people deep or with a houseful of ungrateful and cranky relatives, show your nervous system some love and move your body. Even if it’s just a brisk walk around the block as the pumpkin pie cools or an early a.m. fitness fix at the gym before the rest of your household wakes, you will feel much better prepared to handle daily stress with a little movement under your bum.

And hey, your bum will probably benefit too!

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Exercise Makes You Less Anxious and Reduces Stress

Just in time for the holidays, DietsInReview.com had a chance to talk with Lisa as she shared with us some of her tips for making the season fun, festive and healthy. She also gave us the scoop on her soon-to-be-released, Chew the Right Thing, a perfect guilt-free gift for the holidays.

Listen now to the audio of my conversation with Lisa, or continue reading the transcipt below.

1. The holidays are upon us. What do you recommend for how we can walk the tightrope of eating our favorite holiday foods but not gain weight?

During the holidays, we don’t want to hear that we can’t indulge or that certain foods are off-limits. You have to find a happy medium, and indulge in things you really love and swap out those high calorie foods for healthy alternatives.

I’m a big believer in planning what you are going to eat before you go to an event.  If you know you’re going to a big party, have a snack ahead of time so you’re not starving and eat everything once you get there. Pay attention to the food that is there before you start eating. That way, you can make a healthy decision.

Plus, it is important to drink a lot of water throughout the day. It fills you up and keeps you hydrated.

2. What are some of your favorite pre-party snacks?

Whether I’m at home or the office, I always keep things around to help curb cravings. During the holidays, I love candy canes; They are low calorie, they taste festive, and peppermint has been shown help to reduce cravings. I also love fat-free yogurt, particularly, Fiber One Yoplait yogurt, which has only 50 calories plus five grams of fiber and three grams of protein. You get a lot of bang for that snack. And it is Hungry Girl-approved. Portion control snacks, like 100-calorie packs of almonds, are also a favorite go-to healthy snack of mine.

3. Not all holiday food is bad. Many ingredients used are made with healthy, low-cal foods like pumpkin, butternut squash and lean turkey breast. Can you give a few tips for how to use these naturally, low-cal ingredients in our favorite holiday dishes and still keep them somewhat low calorie?

Many of the foods in holiday dishes are healthy. You can do things like use chicken stock in place butter to keep dishes moist. I do this in a stuffing I make called Save-the-Day Stuffing, which is made with light bread and apples. I have the recipe for it in my first cookbook. I make my Too Good To-Deny Pumpkin Pie with Fiber One breakfast cereal for the crust and pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix, for the filling.

Green bean casserole is another great example. You don’t have to use high fat, crispy-fried onions as a topping. I use garlic and onion-flavored soy crisps as a topping and 98 percent fat-free cream of celery soup rather than the full-fat versions. It keeps calories and fat grams down but it tastes just as good.

It’s about dissecting the recipe and replacing some of the ingredients with smarter ingredients.

4. Your latest creation, Chew the Right Thing, releases on December 8, 2009. This isn’t a book but rather, it is a set of 50 recipe cards. Can you tell us a bit more about these cards and how to use them?

I’m so excited about this. Chew the Right Thing is so cute and it’s a great holiday gift. Each of the 50 recipe swaps are Hungry Girl favorites like Lord of the Onion Rings and De-Pudged Pigs in a Blanket. Instead of a cookbook, they are  colorful and fun recipe cards that are easy to keep around the kitchen or on the counter. Plus, you can purchase the recipe cards for ten dollars or less, which makes it a fantastic and inexpensive holiday gift.

5. What is one of your favorite Hungry Girl holiday recipes?

That is a tough question. I love I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sweet Potato Pie, Too Good To Deny Pumpkin Pie, and Pumpkin-licicous Nog. I’m not usually a fan of eggnog but I love this recipe. It’s amazing. Sorry, I guess I listed a few more than just one.

Thanks Lisa!

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Hungry Girl’s Healthy Holiday Tips

The episode first kicked off with an emotional reunion between sisters Tiffany and Stephanie and their family members who came in to town just for the birthday celebration. Then to the tune of music, dancing, teary speeches and of course, birthday cake, the girls, clad in gown sizes they hadn’t worn in years, toasted not just Stephanie’s birthday, but their collective weight loss success as well.

Perhaps it was the presence of their trainer, Jessie, but the ladies also exercised a serious dose of self-control and moderation when faced with a delicious spread of food. Fortunately, since the party was organized by two fellow DietTribe members, Mary and Tiffany, the menu was specifically chosen to reflect the clean-eating diet the group has been following for the past two months.

Another memorable moment during episode six came when Rita announced that she and her husband lost their home to foreclosure, but by allowing the bank to take ownership of their home, they are still able to remain living in it. In a show of commitment and perseverance, Rita did not allow the weight of her financial struggle to result in actual weight gain. Instead, she used the opportunity to strengthen her resolve in her weight loss journey and shared her thoughts and inspiration with her fellow tribe members and DietTribe therapist, Stacy Kaiser.

Eighty days into their weight loss program, here is the result of their weight loss thus far:

Rita: New weight: 156 pounds. Pounds lost: 4 pounds. Total weight loss: 21 pounds.

Stephanie: New weight: 203 pounds. Pounds lost: 7 pounds. Total weight loss: 41 pounds.

Mary: New weight: 170 pounds. Pounds lost: 6 pounds. Total weight loss: 40 pounds.

LaNessa: New weight: 294 pounds. Pounds lost: 3 pounds. Total weight loss: 40 pounds.

Tiffany: New weight: 186 pounds. Pounds lost: 6 pounds. Total weight loss: 35 pounds.

Tune in next week when we recap episode seven of DietTribe Season Two.

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DietTribe Recap Episode Six

The popular television show is being fairly hush-hush about just what exactly is the “400-Calorie Fix,” but DietsInReview.com did our investigative research and we learned that Prevention magazine, creator of the Flat Belly Diet, is behind the secret diet.

With a book, ”400-Calorie Fix,” soon to be released, Prevention’s new weight loss plan is rumored to be a program in which you eat a series of 400-calorie meals throughout the day in order to lose up to 11 pounds in just two weeks. The plan includes 400 ways to eat 400 calories whether you’re cooking for yourself, dining at a restaurant, grabbing lunch at the fast-food drive-thru, watching a movie, or networking at a business dinner.  

To get a sneak peak of the diet, check out DietInReview’s review of the “400-Calorie Fix.”

There is no release date set for the “400-Calorie Fix.”

Check your local listings for show times.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Tune in: The 400-Calorie Fix on the Rachael Ray Show

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Quorn foods, which creates a line of meatless products, has come out with a new Turk’y Burger that has 50 percent less fat than a traditional turkey burger.

Rather than using soy, wheat gluten or textured vegetable protein like many vegetarian products, Quorn relies on a mycoprotein-based ingredient that contains less fat, fewer calories and more fiber than meat. In addition, it contains nine essential amino acids making it a powerful source of protein for vegetarians or for those who are trying to reduce their intake of meat.

DietsInReview.com was one of the first to try the new Turk’y Burger, thanks to a preview package Quorn sent us last week. Each Turk’y Burger contains 90 calories, four grams of fat, ten grams of protein and two grams of fiber.

As a flexitarian myself, and a big Quorn fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the new Quorn Turk’y Burger. It tasted similar to their Naked Chik’n Cutlet but it had more flavor. Since I haven’t eaten a turkey burger in over ten years, I can’t in good conscience compare Quorn’s Turk’y Burger to its meat-based counterpart, but I can offer these tips: If you bake or grill your Quorn burger, splash it with a bit of olive oil or a few sprays of non-stick cooking spray (on both sides). Its low fat content makes it more prone to drying out. Also, a quick schmear of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard or any combination of your favorite sandwich condiment goes a long way to enhance the burger experience of this meatless chow.

Look for Quorn’s Turk’y Burger in the freezer case of the natural food selection of grocery stores nationwide.

While Quorn provided Heather Ashare with sample product, this review is her own opinion and was not influenced or sponsored in any way.

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Food Find: Quorn’s New Vegetarian Turk’y Burgers

Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien shows you how some of the holiday’s most traditional dishes naturally contain low-calorie and nutritious ingredients. Think butternut squash, pumpkin and lean turkey.

With slimming and sneaky tips for how to revamp your recipes so that they won’t send you in a food coma, the Hungry Girl is on hand to lend her culinary creativity to make your Thanksgiving figure-friendly and deliciously decadent.

Check your local listings for show times.

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Tune In: Hungry Girl’s Thanksgiving Tips on Rachael Ray

Here is a look at the benefits of white and dark meat turkey and some surprising facts that might have you and your health conscious aunt fighting for the drumstick.

Keep in mind that the serving size for the following analysis is for a three and a half-ounce serving of Thanksgiving turkey meat without skin. This eyeballs to about the size of a deck of cards.

Round One: Nutrition

Calories per serving: White meat contains 161 calories. Dark meat contains 192 calories.

Fat per serving: White meat contains 4 grams. Dark meat contains 8 grams.

Protein per serving: White meat contains 30 grams. Dark meat contains 28 grams.

Iron: White meat contains 1.57 mg. Dark meat contains 2.4 mg.

Zinc: White meat contains 2.08 mg. Dark meat contains 4.3 mg.

Thiamine: White meat contains .04 mg. Dark meat contains .05 mg.

Riboflavin: White meat contains .13 mg. Dark meat contains .24 mg.

Selenium: White meat contains 32.10 mcg.  Dark meat contains 40.90 mcg.

Folate: White meat contains .01 mcg. Dark meat contains 10 mcg.

Round Two: Taste and Leftover Potential

When it comes to taste, dark turkey meat contains an undeniably richer taste than white meat, but its higher fat content also lends itself to tasting a bit more on the slimy side, which may detract those who are hypersensitive to the texture of their food or prefer lighter-tasting eats.

In regards to their leftover potential, dark meat’s higher fat content gives it a juicier flavor and therefore protects it from suffering from the dry taste that accompanies white meat turkey once it has sat in the refrigerator for a few days. Therefore, for a sandwich, salad or soup protein-punch, dark turkey meat is the clear winner, but if you’re looking to undo some of the gluttinous Thanksgiving Day damage, then you might want to reach for the white meat to save a few calories and fat grams.

Post-Match Commentary

Drumstick-lovers rejoice! Dark turkey meat delivers a much more nutrient-dense wallop than white turkey meat. With greater amounts of vitamin B like riboflavin, thiamine and folate and minerals like iron, zinc and selenium, dark turkey meat’s sullied reputation for being too high in fat deserves to be overturned considering these impressive nutrition numbers.

When it comes to calories and fat, the difference between the two is not that signficant. In fact, dark turkey meat contains a mere 30 calories more than white meat and just an additional four fat grams. Place your fork down just one bite shy of finishing off that slice of pumpkin pie and you will have balanced out any extra calories you consumed by choosing dark meat over white.

To reap the powerful nutrition benefits of the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving meal, whichever kind of meat you select, just make sure to remove the skin and go easy on the turkey gravy. These two items tax on some serious, albeit delicious-tasting, fat and calories, so you’ll keep your dinner on the leaner side without them.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Food Fight: White Turkey Meat Versus Dark Turkey Meat