Pamela Ofstein is the Director of Nutrition Services at eDiets.com, a leading provider of weight loss services, information and products.

Typically, a dietitian would say that if you could avoid fast food and create your own meal out of whole, highly nutritious foods, that would be the best option. But in the real world (mine included), fast food does have its place!

Fast food has a reputation of being high in calories, fat, and not being the healthiest fare; but we can’t say that about all fast food out there. In this day and age, often the convenience of grabbing something on the go and eating on the run is just reality. Take it from this mom of three under the age of seven (and dietitian), it happens that the occasional drive-thru works its way into my schedule when carting back and forth from work, to school, to football practice, etc. So it all boils down to your picks.
Read Full Post >

Pamela Ofstein is the Director of Nutrition Services at eDiets.com, a leading provider of weight loss services, information and products.

It seems that 100-calorie snacks are all around us – most companies have created a version of their own. There are a lot of 100-calorie snacks available in your grocery store, but keep a watchful eye on if they are truly 100 calories, or more than you bargained for!

Now when you think of 100-calorie snacks, you do expect the package to be just that – 100 calories. But, some packaged foods that are advertise as 100 calories only serve up that amount of calories if you eat the recommended serving size. Some packages contain two servings at 100 calories each; so you may end up eating more than you planned on (200 calories or more).
Read Full Post >

Pamela Ofstein is the Director of Nutrition Services at eDiets.com, a leading provider of weight loss services, information and products.

I think for many of us, when it comes to carbs, we can be our own downfall. It’s tough to limit and eat the right serving size . That could be because we don’t even know what a portion size is for most of our carb servings. Even we dietitians have to think twice on a few since, depending on the type of food (i.e. hot versus cold cereal), the portion sizes vary.

Eating less carbohydrates is fine, but the choices you make are more important when you pick out the carbs to eat and how much of the food you are eating (quantity/portion control). Basically, a slice of whole-grain bread with 3-5 grams of fiber could be a good choice, but if you are eating 3-4 slices at a sitting for example, your carb intake is a bit higher than it should be for most of us. The goal would be to have a slice or two and keep it to 1-2 servings of carbs at the meal.
Read Full Post >

The Biggest Loser Meal Plan is a meal-delivery service that provides you with convenient meals, delivered right to your door, so that you can eat and lose weight, just like the contestants from the hit weight loss reality series.

The plan, which used to be a joint production between the Biggest Loser nutrition experts and BistroMD, has switched kitchens and is now partnering with eDiets, a leading provider of personalized nutrition, fitness and weight-loss programs.

Anyone who has ever tried a meal-delivery diet knows that sometimes the food can taste fair, at best, but the chefs at eDiets are committed to making your weight loss journey a nutritious and tasty one.
Read Full Post >

Pamela Ofstein is the Director of Nutrition Services at eDiets.com, a leading provider of weight loss services, information and products.

Snacking can be a great for weight loss and eating healthy. Snacking between meals helps stabilize your blood sugar levels and keep your energy and motivation high – extremely important when it comes to losing weight. For most of us, it’s hard to stay focused on activities when we have no energy!

If you’re looking for low-carb foods, there are so many great snack choices: non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cucumbers, celery, cauliflower, green beans), low-fat cheese or cottage cheese, nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews), or peanut butter are some options.

Read Full Post >