When I first opened the new Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook, I just kept thinking “I want it! I want it! I want it!”. When I told the book’s author, Chef Devin Alexander, she enthusiastically replied “You can have it! You can have it! You can have it!”. The author behind many other Biggest Loser cookbooks and several of her own, says it’s because this is the first cookbook of its kind. All the recipe ingredients are all-natural and unprocessed, not to mention low in calories, fat and with hardly any saturated fat.
Too good to be true? Maybe, but the good news is it’s true!
Devin spent the summer working on this top secret project at the request of Biggest Loser. They gave her some unheard of rules that would have left her with a dessert cookbook without any chocolate syrup or whipped cream, as examples. She told herself to revolutionize, and she did. The results include her own creations for a chocolate syrup (unsweetened cocoa powder and agave nectar), her own “Cut the Crap” Whipped Topping (egg whites and agave), as well as the one recipe in the book she is most proud of, “New”-Tella, a natural alternative to that “other” hazelnut spread that she says “is actually kind of good for you.”
Listen now as Devin talks to us about how these desserts can complement your diet, how she used a variety of ingredients to maintain the textures and flavors people love, and how substitutions can work in your home baking.
Tune in this Wednesday, November 3 to The Dr. Oz Show when alternative health expert and medical doctor, Andrew Weil, M.D., stops by to tell you the truth about alternative health therapies and treatments.
Dr. Weil is best known for his clean-eating plan, Eating Well for Optimum Health. Dr. Weil is one of the most well-recognized and well-respected medical doctors who has struck a balance between Eastern health practices and Western medicine. He and Dr. Oz discuss the best alternative health practices that are not just safe, but have proven benefits to improve your health.
On the show, Dr. Weil will reveal what supplements you must be taking (he takes the same ones also) and his revolutionary diet plan that will not just knock off pounds, but will also reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic health conditions.
Western medicine is starting to pay attention to traditional healing herbs. “We’re now starting to see a scientific basis for why people have been using spices medicinally for thousands of years,” says Bharat Aggarwal, Ph.D., professor at the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center. Although it’s difficult to say that spices can cure disease, they can be beneficial when fighting a variety of health conditions, from Alzheimer’s disease and cancer to the common cold.
Here are six of the healthiest spices from around the world, gathered by Eating Well.
Sage may help preserve memory, a fitting benefit for its name. Some research suggests that it can help regulate enzymes in the brain to prevent the deterioration of acetylcholine, improving symptoms that lead to Alzheimer’s disease. Herbalists also recommend sipping on hot sage tea to sooth sore throats and upset stomachs.
Josie Maurer, creator of YumYucky.com, spreads the message of finding balance between fitness and your greedy side. She lost over 40 pounds after the birth of her fourth child through sensible eating and exercise, yet she still maintains her love for large slices of cake.
You’re sneezing and throat-hacking. You may cough up a lung. Your head feels 10,000 pounds heavy and your nostrils are host to a faucet of liquid boogers. Cold and flu season is approaching. Are you ready to do battle?
Germs are pretty sneaky. Today’s innocent sneezing fit could very well morph into a barrage of “I can’t go to work” cold symptoms by the time tomorrow comes. But there’s a way to put those symptoms in a headlock and quite possibly bounce back faster. There are 5 natural remedies you can wield against a cold. (more…)
More and more products are coming out touting that they are less harmful to the environment or are earthy friendly, but in order to use this type of labeling the product must be manufactured with minimal energy and packaging should be made of recycled materials (think the paper grocery bags at Whole Foods supermarkets). Not all manufacturers follow the full guidelines that entitle this “green” messaging, so by referencing the logos listed below you can ensure that the products and produce you purchase are in fact “green”:
For products to use the USDA labeling it must contain at least 95% organic ingredients that have not had any chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides or genetically modified organisms used. (more…)
Forget low-carb, high-protein, or no-sugar diets. We are now embarking on a new era in weight loss. Rather than counting calories and carb grams, diets are changing courses and focusing on eating real foods that are natural, whole and above all, good for you.
Case in point: Laura Pensiero’s Real-Food Diet, which has been recently lauded in O magazine. Pensiero is the current owner of Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck, New York and a former culinary coordinator at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Wellness and Prevention Center.
Her Real-Food Diet focuses on just that: Eating real food that is fresh, seasonal and void of preservatives and additives. Local food, as Pensiero points out, is nutritionally and environmentally superior to the same items that we normally purchase in large grocery store chains. The bagged lettuce that you grabbed from the produce section of your grocery store was likely harvested thousands of miles away and transported across the country in order to end up in your grocery cart. From farm to fork, our food is looking less and less like anything but fresh. But food and health advocates like Pensiero want to change that. (more…)
When it comes to nutrition bars, there is a taste for everyone. From bars that are little more than a candy bar injected with a multivitamin to bars that have more protein in them than a baby calf, energy bars line grocery store shelves and promise you the convenience of fast-food eating with the nutrition of a balanced meal.
Noble Bars: The Food of Ancient Rome
So when I heard about the Noble Bar, an all-natural fruit, nut and whole grain bar that coins itself as being The Food from Ancient Rome, I had to give it a try. Then when all I had to do was send the company an email to receive a free bar, I really had to give it a try.
Just a few days ago, the whole-foods enthusiasts at Noble Bar sent me a sample of Centurion Fig in the mail. And quite different from the four lines of ingredients that accompany most nutrition bars, many of them unrecognizable, the ingredients of the Noble Bar contained only five items – organic figs, apples, walnuts, organic hard wheat berries and honey. Already, I liked it. And when I tasted it, it was like eating a sweet and nutty mixture blended up by Mother Nature herself. I loved it! The sweetness from the natural fruits, crunch from the wheat berries and figs and moistness from the all-natural goodness created a yummy bar that felt super healthy – in a good way. (more…)
We’re pleased to now offer a once-monthly Natural Health Newsletter, focused on living a healthy and positive lifestyle. Let this be a place for you to find resources to guide you on your path to eating better, living healthier and laughing along the way. We’re partnering with Amy Vermeer of EatLiveLaugh.com to share more information about personal wellness and growth.
Each month the newsletter will feature a can’t-miss nutritional topic, inspiring fitness guidance, a healthy and tasty recipe, coverage of related news and something good for the soul- an introduction to a worthwhile charitable organization.
Published content is provided from businesses that have been compensated by this website. This can potentially affect the appearance of the stated products. Not all companies or products are represented, but efforts are made to offer full transparency. Any and all published editorial content is offered without any sort of influence.
