By Bob Greene for TheBestLife.com

When is a calorie not a calorie? Many experts argue whether you eat 300 calories in the morning or in the evening, it’s still 300 calories. This may be true in a physiological sense, but as you are no doubt aware, losing weight is about more than just calories in and calories out.

In my experience helping people lose weight, I’ve seen first-hand how dangerous nighttime calories can be. That’s why one of my Best Life guidelines (one that I’m a stickler about) is to stop eating at least two hours before bed. Here’s why I’m a strong supporter of a nighttime eating cutoff:

1. You miss the opportunity to burn off extra calories at night. If you overeat during the day, you have a chance to be more active in the ensuing hours (when you’re more likely to have the energy to do it) and burn off those extra calories. At night, as your body prepares for sleep, you don’t get this chance.

2. Evening hours are a danger zone for dieters. A lot of mindless eating happens at night. In front of the TV, after a long, stressful day at work, many of us just want to check out as we fill up. That’s a sure-fire recipe for disaster. One of our bloggers struggled with this problem, until she tried the eating cutoff.
Read Full Post >

If ever I’ve had a true food addiction, besides ice cream and frozen yogurt, it’s trail mix. The sweet-salty combination is enough to have me eating an entire jar without realizing what happened!

While trail mixes can be a bit of a temptation especially for those few among us who only pick out the chocolate bits (guilty), they can also be an incredibly health snack to fuel our most rigorous of activities.

This trail mix is a simple one to throw together, as are most. You’ll simply need even parts pecans, walnuts, almonds, raisins, dried cranberries and dark chocolate.

Read Full Post >

Finding healthy snacks can be difficult, especially amidst a sea of more unhealthy than healthy options. Couple the issue of availability with the season’s change, which leaves people out of their bikinis and into layered clothes, and we’re all of the sudden far less aware of what we’re putting into our bodies.

But if healthy snacking is important to you like we think it is, take heart and fight developing that unwanted “winter layer.” Try these six healthy do-it-yourself fall snacks from fitness expert and CEO of Step It Up With Steph, Stephanie Mansour.

Pumpkin seeds – You can buy store bought pumpkin seeds or you can roast pumpkin seeds yourself! After carving pumpkins collect all of the seeds, give them a rinse, and spread them out onto a cookie sheet lined with foil. Then, sprinkle with salt and place in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 to 20 minutes. Making your own pumpkin seeds is a cheap and simple way to create your own nutritious fall snack.
Read Full Post >

On Ellen’s September 17 episode, Ellen discussed her partnership with the company Food Should Taste Good to take a stand for the fight against breast cancer. She is raising money for Ellen For The Cure, which will go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

To raise money, Food Should Taste Good rolled out a special pink bag of multigrain chips that will donate a part of the profits to the foundation. Ellen let her audience taste the chips by passing a bag around (“she only has one bag”), touting their delicious taste and their vegan and gluten-free status. You can also donate directly to the foundation on her website.
Read Full Post >

If the dawn of fall brings thoughts of pumpkin spice lattes and plenty of seasonal sweet treats, then you’re in the right place. However, what you won’t find with these pumpkin spice protein balls is butter, added sugar, eggs or anything refined for that matter. Instead, you’ll find four simple ingredients: oats, almonds, dates and pumpkin pie spice.

We whipped these up last week as the weather was starting to cool and it was rainy outside. As the pulse of the food processor brought all of the ingredients together, the aroma of pumpkin pie spice filled the air – it was almost enough for me to wish summer good riddance, even though it’s undoubtedly one of my favorite seasons. But fall? It takes a close second.
Read Full Post >