Life would be simpler if we had more money and could lose a few pounds, right? If so, it just got easier. On May 22, Ziplist, the popular digital shopping list and recipe box resource, launched its free meal planner, which aims to help users get on track physically and financially.

The idea that meal planning will allow for healthy and balanced eating is widely accepted. If all meals and snacks are planned for, spontaneous drive-thru eating or impulse grocery shopping need not occur. Meal planning can ward off over eating and help one lose weight and stay on track. These same tactics keep one from over-spending and going over budget. So, why isn’t the whole world planning their meals? Often times the task seems too daunting. The new meal planning function at Ziplist claims they have the simplest way for planning a week’s or even a month’s worth of meals.
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Food Network star Tyler Florence is crossing over from chef to author with his new children’s book ‘Tyler Makes Pancakes.’

Florence is a proud parent himself to three kids, ages 15, 5 and 3. Being a chef, it was a natural desire for the new author to teach his own children about food. After realizing there wasn’t anything else like it on the market, Florence and illustrator Craig Frazier jumped at the chance to write a book that teaches children from a very small level – around pre-school age -  where food comes from and how to prepare it with several kid-friendly recipes.

‘Tyler Makes Pancakes’ tells the story of a 6-year-old boy named Tyler and his chubby dog, Tofu. The pair goes on imaginary adventures throughout the book, including a trip to a chicken coup on a nearby farm where Tyler and Tofu learn that eggs come from chickens.
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Friday’s episode of The Doctors will potentially be the most energized segment in daytime television history. Fitness legend Richard Simmons will be bringing his one-of-a-kind aerobic exercises to the cast, audience, and viewers at home. Simmons plans to reveal 13 secrets to get thin by summer.

Good thing laughing burns calories too as the previews for Friday’s episode display images of the docs in stitches as Simmons pumps up the audience in a style only he could bring to an exercise routine. While the docs and the audience get in on the good, aerobic time, Simmons also brings a dose of seriousness. Simmons will help one dangerously overweight audience member find the motivation to begin exercise and lose weight.

This installment of The Doctors will be memorable, for sure. Until then, a few of Simmons’ 13 secrets are being revealed so we all can get a head start on our plan to get thin by summer.

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UPDATE May 25, 2012: Yesterday’s vote regarding Senator Durbin’s proposed amendment to the pending FDA Safety and Innovation Act was tabled. A Senate vote of 77 to 20 has removed Durbin’s amendment from consideration in the overall bill.

Durbin sponsored an amendment that would change the current FDA regulation of natural supplements and potentially cause many products to be removed from shelves. His amendment was introduced on Tuesday, May 22 and the voting took place two days later. In two days’ time supplement industries, consumer rights organizations, along with the Natural Products Association (NPA), American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and Citizens for Health sent word to their supporters urging them to contact their Senators to oppose Durbin’s plan. As a result, the amendment was not passed and no change will occur to the current law regarding natural supplements. According to the Natural Products Insider, AHPA President Michael McGuffin is very pleased.

“I have worked with my colleagues from each of the other supplement trade associations over the last several days in this call for prompt and cooperative action, and I am pleased that this effort reaffirms the incredible unity of the dietary supplement industry when legislative threats to DSHEA emerge.”

A vote that takes place today could mean a major change for the supplement industry.

Illinois Senator Richard Durbin has proposed an amendment that would require supplement manufacturers to register with the FDA. Due to the terms of this amendment, if passed, many supplements will be ripped from shelves within the next 30 days.

The vote is scheduled to take place this afternoon, Thursday, May 24. If Durbin’s plan is accepted, a mandate will be placed on supplements requiring information to be provided to the FDA. That information includes a description of the supplement, a list of ingredients, a label for all supplements, and updated information for each new, reformulated, or discontinued product. All of these requirements will fall under the Senate FDA Re-authorization for User Fees bill.

If this amendment passes, supplement companies that fail to register with the FDA within 30 days will be considered “mis-branded” and may be subject to severe financial fees and possibly even jail time.

Currently, supplements operate under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). This act states that the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring the safety of a supplement before it is marketed. The FDA is only involved if a product is found to be unsafe after it’s on the market.

While the amendment will affect pills and natural food supplements, Durbin seems to be most concerned about the content of energy drinks. He has even referenced a case of a young woman who died as a result of using an energy drink. The senator wants the FDA to evaluate the difference between a drink and a liquid dietary supplement, and feels energy drinks are dodging regulations by claiming to be a dietary supplement. If they were categorized as drinks they would have to be regulated like all other food and drink products.

Natural supplement suppliers and users have had a short window to petition their local senators and encourage them to vote against the amendment. Due to this, tomorrow may bring major change to the natural supplement industry as we know it.

Also Read:

Energy Drinks May be Doing Permanent Damage to Your Teeth 

Supplements 101: 4 Beneficial Diet Supplements 

Create Your Own Supplement Bar

According to a recent health survey conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC), Americans are a lot of things, but trusting is not one of them.

In its seventh annual food and health survey, the IFIC – a non-profit association in Washington, D.C. – found some interesting trends and a few setbacks regarding the health of Americans.

A few of the biggest highlights were that taste still reigns supreme when considering food purchases, technology such as mobile weight apps may be the health coach of the future, and conflicting information regarding nutrition has led many Americans to trust themselves when it comes to discerning their health.

The web-based survey included 1,057 participants, and was designed to reflect the American population ages 18-80. The report sought to gain a deeper understanding of consumer behaviors concerning health and food from both from a year to year standpoint, and over a long length of time. Although there was much information presented in this year’s report, here are a few of the most relevant and revealing highlights.
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