Tag Archives: Cheryl Forberg

Summer Foodie Twitter Party Planned with Cheryl Forberg for July 24

Put on your party hats and tie on your aprons because it’s time for a healthy foodie chat with our friend Cheryl Forberg, RD on Twitter!

We all know her best as the co-creator of the Biggest Loser diet and nutrition plan, which was awarded healthiest diet for diabetics earlier this year by US News. You may also be familiar with her to-die-for recipes in Flavor First. Or, you may just be a fan of her beautiful farm in Napa where she truly lives the farm-to-fork ideals.

However you know Cheryl, get to know her better in a Twitter chat next Tuesday night.

Twitter Party Details:

Day: Tuesday, July 24, 2024

Time: 8:00 p.m. CST

Hashtag: #DIRSummer

Follow: @DietsInReview @CherylForbergRD (more…)

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Health Buzz

Health Buzz May 25: Skechers Lawsuit, Glow in the Dark 5K, and a Memorial Weekend Feast

Before you start your Memorial festivities, take some healthy news and Memorial dishes from DIR and our friends.

Mike Crooks Joined a Gym and Lost 133 Pounds 

Mike Crooks is a 24-year-old nurse in Florida. Mike had been overweight most of his life, and weighed 377 pounds. He signed up for a membership at a local gym and seven months later Mike dropped down to 204 pounds.

The Glow Run 5K Will Light up the Plains this Summer 

The Glow Run 5K is making its way to the plains. The run will take place at night and runners are encouraged to wear as many glow-in-the-dark items as they want. The event is described as running through a sixty-foot black light tunnel and laser light shows. DIR friends in the Midwest sign up fast, Glow Run 5K will take place in Kansas City, Wichita, and Omaha.

How to Get Your Refund From the $40 Million Skechers Lawsuit 

Looks like Skechers made some false claims about its Shape-Ups. If you purchased Skechers Shape-Ups after August 1, 2024 you may be entitled to a refund from the company. Skechers agreed to pay $40 million to settle the lawsuit. The amount you’ll receive from Skechers depends on the type of shoe and amount of shoes you’ve purchased. (more…)

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Samantha

Meet Biggest Loser’s New Nutrition Expert, Rachel Beller

There’s a new face on the Biggest Loser ranch, but not one you’re likely to see very often. While her handiwork is witnessed throughout the season, we rarely get to see her teaching the nutritional skills the contestants rely on. Meet Rachel Beller, MS, RD, the new nutrition expert for Biggest Loser. She’s filling a position vacated by Cheryl Forberg, RD at the end of season 12, the co-creator of the current Biggest Loser diet.

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” she told us, saying there aren’t any plans to change the Biggest Loser diet. It’s certainly not in need of change, since the plan,  based on the program outlined in 6 Weeks to a Healthier You written by Forberg, was recognized as the best diet for weight loss and diabetes by US News and World Reports last week. “We at Biggest Loser are so pleased to receive top ratings from so many of the world’s leading nutrition experts who served as judges,” Michael Dansinger, MD, the Biggest Loser Nutrition Doctor and co-author of the plan, told us. “There are many great eating strategies for maintaining or regaining great health and we are proud to be among the very top of a very important list.”

So far Beller calls her new job “a lot of fun and very hands-on.” She has an impressive background in nutrition, coming to the ranch from her own Beller Nutritional Institute, where she translates clinical research into real-world results. Dr. Dansinger, her new colleague, had this to say about Beller: “Rachel is a nationally recognized nutritional authority who knows how to motivate people to be the best they can be. She knows that good nutrition is the best medicine and has a special way about her that helps people gain clarity and perspective about the importance of healthy eating.” (more…)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Natalie K

Biggest Loser’s 6 Weeks to a Healthier You Shines as a Best Diet of 2024

In yesterday’s announcement from US News and World Report’s Best Diets 2024, Biggest Loser took two top spots. Yes, the diet often bashed by critics for what they “see” on TV and not necessarily what they’ve researched received high honors.

First, the list tied Biggest Loser with DASH Diet, also named 2024’s best diet, as the Best Diabetes Diet. Then, it was ranked number two, behind Weight Watchers, as one of the Best Weight-Loss Diets.

The review, completed by a volunteer team of 22 renowned experts, ranked Biggest Loser based almost entirely on the plan outlined in the book Biggest Loser’s 6 Weeks to a Healthier You. Cheryl Forberg, RD was the original co-author, along with Dr. Michael Dansinger, and the author of this book.

“I am thrilled that this review was based mostly on my 6 Weeks to a Healthier You book, which has the most comprehensive and solid science on the plan as well as the ingredients selections,” she told us after hearing the news.

Forberg was the primary dietitian on the show, working with each contestant behind the scenes since season one. Late last year, at the end of season 12, she announced she was leaving Biggest Loser to pursue other work, including growing her Flavor First brand.

(more…)

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Natalie K

Cheryl Forberg Announces Her Departure as Biggest Loser’s Nutritionist

I was shocked to open Facebook this morning and see a note from Cheryl Forberg, RD announcing that she she would depart from Biggest Loser at the end of the year.

She’s been with Biggest Loser for 12 seasons, in other words the very beginning. She co-wrote the now famous, and often imitated, nutrition program that the more than 250 Biggest Loser contestants follow on their weight loss journeys. Her work behind the cameras on the long-running reality program has touched innumerable lives, whether it be first-hand with the contestants, viewers who mimic the program, or those who follow her guidance in one of the show’s bestselling books, like Biggest Loser’s 6 Weeks to a Healthier You.

“Looking back, this is the longest working relationship I’ve had – seven + years – so it’s really taken up a full, exciting and very complete chapter in my life,” Forberg told us after breaking the news. “My experience and relationships with our cast (250+) has been incredibly enriching. Though I hope I’ve made a lasting impact on their lives with the nutrition and culinary tips I’ve shared, I’ve learned so much myself from our contestants (and viewers I’ve met through Facebook and Twitter). They each have a unique journey and I feel so blessed to go along for the ride with all of them.” (more…)

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Natalie K

New USDA MyPlate Icon Fills Plate With Less, Says Cheryl Forberg, RD

Cheryl Forberg, RD is a James Beard Award-winning chef, New York Times best-selling author, and nutritionist for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” Her latest book is “Flavor First,” which can find out more about at Flavorfirst.com. You can follow her on Twitter @cherylforbergrd.

Why were nutritionists so happy when the USDA announced the food pyramid was dead?

When the USDA in 1992 released the food pyramid we’ve all become familiar with, many nutritionists voiced concerns with the diagram. The large base of bread, cereal and grains just gave the impression that you were supposed to eat so much more from that group. Encouraging people to eat so many grains and carbs, nutritionists argued, paved the road to an obesity epidemic.

The original pyramid had long been unpopular and in 2005 it was replaced with a new logo called MyPyramid, a nearly impenetrable glyph depicting a stick figure running up steps on the side of a vertical striped pyramid. Sensitive to fears that the hierarchy of the original could lead to an improper balance, the USDA abstracted the image and turned the breakdowns on their side. The running figure was meant to to remind people that exercise was an important component of proper diet and nutrition. Too bad nobody paid much attention to the essentially meaningless graphic.

Thursday, First Lady Michelle Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin unveiled the USDA’s new food icon, replacing the confusing pyramid with MyPlate. (more…)

Posted on June 3, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Rediscover the Importance of Flavor in Your Cooking with Cheryl Forberg’s Flavor First Cookbook

Who doesn’t love a wonderfully prepared meal that’s made with fresh ingredients and full of flavor? It’s for those people who truly enjoy food and healthful eating that Flavor First was written, a new cookbook by Cheryl Forberg, RD. This James Beard award-winning chef, and nutritionist for The Biggest Loser, wants to see us eating healthier foods that we’re making ourselves at home.

Inside Flavor First you’ll find 75 all-natural recipes that use the best ingredients any garden could grow and any well-stocked pantry should have. From fresh herbs and bold spices, to ripe vegetables and tender cuts of meat, each recipe from Flavor First will help you reconnect with the way food is supposed to be enjoyed.

“When you learn to optimize the flavor with each different ingredient there’s just an exponential explosion of flavor in the finished product,” Cheryl told us in an interview about the book.

Don’t be intimidated if you’re not well-versed at cooking, or even just starting your healthy journey, Cheryl wants you to use this book as a guide for conquering the kitchen, and says it can help the home chef increase their confidence. Flavor First is part cookbook and part culinary lesson, carefully teaching you about flavor layers, a way of preparing food and combining ingredients to bring out the best taste from any meal, and she uses simple, accessible ingredients to show you that even the busiest people can prepare meals.

“Bottom line – everybody is busy,” says Cheryl, and she wants us to re-prioritize and make meal planning an important part of our to-do lists.

Learn more in some excerpts from our interview with Cheryl, plus preview some of these delicious recipes. (more…)

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Natalie K

Eat Orange to Prevent Cancer and Boost Immunity

Cheryl Forberg, R.D., is a James Beard Award-winning chef, the nutritionist for NBC’s The Biggest Loser and a New York Times best-selling author. Her Pumpkin Polenta recipe is reprinted from Positively Ageless: A 28-Day Plan for a Younger, Slimmer, Sexier You (Rodale, 2024). Follow her on at www.facebook.com/cherylforbergrd or twitter at cherylforbergrd

To maintain a healthy balance in your diet, make sure you eat something orange every day. From the burnt orange richness of carrots, yams and pumpkin to the ocher shades of apricots and nectarines, these colorful foods are packed with nutrients and compounds that our bodies need to function properly and stave off disease.

Orange foods take their hue from beta-carotene, a plant substance converted by the human body into Vitamin A, essential for normal growth and development, immune system function, and skin and vision health. Beta-carotene is also a powerful antioxidant shown to help fight cancer and heart-disease. Most people don’t get enough beta-carotene in their diet so it’s important to add orange to the menu daily.

(more…)

Posted on March 18, 2024 by GuestBlogger

The Best Diet Tips You’ve Never Heard

You’ve probably heard them all: put your fork down in between bites, snack on fruit when you want something sweet, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Diet tips can start to sound monotonous after a while, and maybe even obvious. But if they were so obvious, wouldn’t we be more apt to follow them? We went in search of some of the best diet tips you’ve never heard before, and a few notable dietitians gave us some great material that we know will help you kick-off your healthy new year’s habits!

Tips for Hunger Pangs

  • “At your first hint of feeling full, place your napkin over your plate.” – Mary Hartley, RD, MPH and director of nutrition for Calorie Count
  • “Wait for hunger to eat… hunger is the sign the body needs food. If you feel tempted to snack, but aren’t hungry, set a 20 minute timer and distract yourself.” Rebecca Scritchfield, MA, RD, ACSM

Tips for Portioning and Serving Sizes

  • “Cut your sandwich into four pieces, it makes it easier to leave the last piece.” – Hartley
  • “Use small serving spoons. Even four spoonfuls will still be a little.” – Hartley (more…)
Posted on January 5, 2024 by Natalie K

Last-Minute Tips for Tackling Holiday Diet Stress

Cheryl Forberg, RD is a James-Beard award-winning chef and the nutritionist for NBC’s The Biggest Loser. She has been with the show from the beginning and co-wrote the Biggest Loser eating plan. For more cooking and nutrition tips, follow her on Facebook and Twitter @CherylForbergRD, or visit her blog at CherylForberg.com.

By now, you’re probably deep into your holiday checklist – and its attendant stress. Presents delivered to the post office? Holiday gifts delivered to the kids’ teachers? Parties scheduled and dinner menus planned? Travel schedules arranged?

With the pressures of money, family and sheer logistics, the holidays can be harried. And if you’re trying to eat wisely, there’s a whole other dimension of anxiety to contend with. From cocktails loaded with empty calories to holiday cookie swaps, the possibilities for unhealthy choices and abandoned good intentions seem endless.

But good nutrition needn’t add stress to the holiday routine. After all, you don’t want to spend precious time with friends and family agonizing over every little calorie and beating yourself up for overindulging.

Instead, realize that healthy eating isn’t an all or nothing proposition. Rather than trying to follow severe restrictions – and giving up for the day when you “blow it” – focus on the more manageable prospect of making each individual food choice wisely – small changes. Opt for healthier foods each time, and the cumulative effect will be to maintain overall good nutrition and steady progress toward your goals – big difference.

To reduce diet stress over the holidays and cut yourself some healthy slack, consider these tips: (more…)

Posted on December 21, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Biggest Loser Recipe: Grilled Shrimp Salad with Avocado Aioli

With season nine of The Biggest Loser wrapped up, you may be wondering where you can get your latest Biggest Loser fix. Cheryl Forberg, RD, the show’s dietitian, has a book out – Six Weeks to a Healthier You – which focuses on quality foods that provide a powerhouse of nutrients for the calories.

In this video, Cheryl shares one of her recipes from the book, a Grilled Shrimp Salad with an Avocado Aioli. The avocado aioli has over 20 vitamins and minerals and heart healthy, unsaturated fats. With help from avocados and Greek yogurt, the luscious and creamy quality of the aioli gives you a nutrient dense alternative to the typical bottled creamy dressing high in saturated fat.

(more…)

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Rebecca