By Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D., TheBestLife.com lead nutritionist
As a trim, chic couple passes me on the street, I hear snatches of their conversation—in French. The other night at a restaurant, I heard Italian coming from a nearby table of three generations: healthy children, parents and grandparents. Living in Washington, D.C., with all the embassies and international organizations, I wind up hearing many different languages. When I recognize one, I do a quick—and surreptitious—assessment of the speaker’s body weight. My amateur research findings, corroborated by legitimate studies, are that in most other countries, people are at healthier weights than Americans. For instance, our obesity rate is 3.5 times that of France’s.
I’ve pumped my international friends—all of whom are at a healthy body weight—for their secrets. No matter where they come from, there is one strategy they all share: They respect the concept of mealtimes. They eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, with little to no snacking in between.
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By Team Best Life – TheBestLife.com
Thinking about going vegetarian, or at least cutting back on your intake of meat, poultry and fish? There are some serious perks to adapting a plant-based diet—these foods supply minerals and vitamins while remaining low in fat and calories. They’re easy to digest and help keep your cholesterol low. (High cholesterol levels contribute to heart disease and other health issues.)
Phytochemicals and fiber found in plant foods can also help fight disease. In fact, compared to meat eaters, vegetarians are less likely to suffer from a variety of ailments, from diabetes to obesity to hypertension. A few more benefits: Going vegetarian can help protect the environment and may even lighten your wallet.
Before you go meat-free, there are a few things you should know:
There are many variations of vegetarianism.
A vegetarian diet consists of mainly plant-based foods, including vegetables, beans, grains, fruits, nuts and seeds. Within this category, there are a few different options. For instance, you could be a lacto-ovo vegetarian, someone who eats plant-based foods, dairy and eggs, or a lacto vegetarian, someone who eats dairy products but no eggs.
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By Bob Greene from TheBestLife.com
There’s some debate over what water can and can’t do: Does it fill you up? Can it help you slim down?
Research shows that foods with a high water content (like fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups) do fill you up; water by itself, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to be as filling. And yet, studies show that people who drink more water end up consuming fewer calories during the day. In fact, the stat I often refer back to comes from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: People who drink an average of 6.5 cups of water each day consume 200 fewer calories a day.
If water doesn’t fill you up, then how can it help promote weight loss? There are a few theories. First, it seems that water drinkers have a healthier diet overall. Drinking water also keeps your hands and mouth busy—if you’re gulping down a glass of water, you’ll be less likely to snack. Not to mention, many people confuse hunger for thirst; when you’re fully hydrated, you may not be tempted to ease those pangs with food.
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Everyone embraces the new year in their own way, and over at Bob Greene’s The Best Life Diet, they celebrated with a makeover! Unveiled today, the site has an entirely updated look as it welcomes new and old members ready to invest in living their best life. It’s easier than ever to navigate the site and find exactly what you’re looking for – be it recipes, the blog, or their Fitness Friday features.
“I’m very excited about TheBestLife.com’s new look and having so much amazing content available to all who visit,” Bob Greene told us. “It takes what I feel to be THE premier diet and lifestyle site and makes it even more user friendly.”
The other big change – (most of) TheBestLife.com is free and open now. In an exclusive release to DietsInReview, The Best Life announced that with the new year they are now making all of their editorial content free. This includes their articles, blogs and recipes. They’re eliminating the “cost of entry” that health and fitness tends to carry.
Hundreds of articles with health, nutrition, and fitness guidance are now available to anyone craving a healthier lifestyle; not to mention a library of recipes designed by Best Life chefs and nutritionists that truly are something worth craving! Who wouldn’t love a guilt-free Blackberry Peach Crumble or Cajun Oven Fried Chicken? Those are examples of some of the hundreds of free recipes now available to all who visit The Best Life.
“I made a point to start this program working with the best people in publishing, health, fitness, wellness and food to make us the most useful healthy lifestyle tool on the market and am thrilled that their work can be viewed by all of our site visitors,” said Bob Greene, creator of The Best Life and Oprah’s trainer for 15 years, in a press release.
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By Team Best Life – TheBestLife.com
It may seem counterintuitive to take in calories before you head to the gym to burn them off, but eating a healthy bite beforehand can help you make the most of your workout. No matter what kind of activity you’re planning, you can use these tips to fuel up for fitness:
Eat when it feels best. Eating one hour before your workout is a good general rule, but everyone’s body is different. For instance, some people may feel uncomfortable or bloated trying to exercise after a snack or meal while others may be distracted by a rumbling tummy. Only you know exactly how much you can comfortably eat and how soon before your workout.
Keep track of carbs. Because glucose—a carbohydrate—is your muscles’ preferred source of fuel, you need to go into a workout with enough stored glucose (aka glycogen). If you eat a balanced diet, you should be all set. But if you’re hitting the gym hours after your last meal or snack, you might need a little carb boost; 15 grams should do the trick.
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