By Rachel Berman RD, Director of Nutrition at CalorieCount.com
Over the river and through the woods or wherever else you plan to go this year, traveling for the holidays can throw a wrench into your healthy lifestyle efforts. From impulse snack buys to big sit-down dinners, it is true many Americans gain about a pound each holiday season that sticks and accumulates over the years. Despite hectic holiday travel, you can avoid that pound or more by following a few easy steps.
Plan Ahead
Packing healthy snacks is always a smart decision when you are on the go. If there is a chance you may get stuck in an airport or in traffic, plan ahead to stave off your hunger with an easy-to-pack snack like trail mix, a protein bar, fresh fruit, a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread, or any other non-perishable snack. With nutritious, tasty options at your fingertips, you will not be as tempted by less-than-ideal snacks for sale and will be less likely to show up at your destination ravenous, ready to overeat. In addition, waiting many hours between meals can contribute to a slower metabolism. So if you think you should skip the snack and save the calories for later, think again.
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Mary Hartley, RD, MPH, is the director of nutrition for Calorie Count, providing domain expertise on issues related to nutrition, weight loss and health. She creates original content for weekly blogs and newsletters, for the Calorie Count library, and for her popular daily Question-and-Answer section, Ask Mary. Ms. Hartley also furnishes direction for the site features and for product development.
If you are an American adult, there’s a one in three chance that you have pre-diabetes, and in five to ten years, pre-diabetes will progress to type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a serious metabolic condition that ravages the circulatory system over time, but the long-term damage may begin during the early stages. The good news is that you can reverse pre-diabetes by natural means.
The difference between pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes is a matter of degree. When the Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) is 100 – 125 mg, it is called pre-diabetes; when the FBG crosses over 126 mg, the name changes to type 2 diabetes. Diabetes has to do with the way glucose travels from the bloodstream into the cells where it is burned for fuel. In pre-diabetes and most type 2, the pancreas still makes insulin, but that insulin cannot help the cells to uptake glucose. Glucose, called ‘sugar’, builds up in the blood and ruins the little capillaries in every part of the body. One quarter of all new type 2 diabetics already have eye damage at the time of diagnosis.
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Mary Hartley, RD, MPH, is the director of nutrition for Calorie Count, providing domain expertise on issues related to nutrition, weight loss and health. She creates original content for weekly blogs and newsletters, for the Calorie Count library, and for her popular daily Question-and-Answer section, Ask Mary. Ms. Hartley also furnishes direction for the site features and for product development.
“Surely the Apple is the noblest of fruits” said Henry Thoreau.
For sure, apples are one of the basic foods, and all basic foods have nutritional benefits. But in this age of super-fruits, people want to know, what up with an apple?
Apple Nutrition
Question: “Is one apple healthier than another?
Answer: No
Apple nutrition is just a matter of size. A larger apple simply has more nutrients. Apples can be as small as a cherry or as big as a grapefruit. One medium apple is 3-inches measured across the middle.
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We’re excited to introduce our first-ever special guest to Health Buzz! It’s Mary Hartley, registered dietician and nutritionist representing CalorieCount.com. In honor of Whole Grains Month, she digs into real reason whole grains are important for your body. Also in this episode of Health Buzz, our host Jamie Yuenger brings you 10 ways to reduce stress from Self.com and a great series about cooking healthy dishes from around the world by our own Maris Callahan. Don’t miss the recipe! It’s fall squash and Caribbean Chicken from FaveDiets.com.
Health Buzz is a weekly show that brings you the latest and greatest in health news from around the web. Click to watch this week’s show!
See more episodes of Health Buzz here!
Mary Hartley, RD, MPH, is the director of nutrition for Calorie Count, providing domain expertise on issues related to nutrition, weight loss and health. She creates original content for weekly blogs and newsletters, for the Calorie Count library, and for her popular daily Question-and-Answer section, Ask Mary. Ms. Hartley also furnishes direction for the site features and for product development.
Whole grains are a complete package. They’re tasty, nutritious, filling, and versatile. Yet, 93% of us don’t meet the three ounces a day requirement. In fact, the average American only eats about one ounce.
Whole grain is the seed of plants in the grass family – such as rice, corn, oats, barley, rye, and amaranth. The seed, called a kernel, has three layers: bran, the tough outer layer; endosperm, the starchy inner layer; and germ, the kernel’s reproductive machinery deep inside the endosperm.
Each layer has a unique nutritional value. The bran is rich in fiber; the endosperm is energy from starch; and the germ is flush with vitamins, minerals, and unsaturated oils. The fibers in the bran and endosperm work to cleanse the GI tract and to promote fullness and the slow release of blood sugar over time.
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