Nutrition/Healthy Eating Articles

The timing of nutrition label updates to include added sugars, among other changes, remains in flux as government officials offer differing timelines. As of press time, the official word is that you can expect to see the new labels on all products in January 2020, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Despite the delay, many food companies are still planning on rolling out updated labels by the original deadline of July 2018.

Authors of a recent viewpoint published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association issued a call for clinicians to incorporate more nutrition counseling into their patient interactions to better help people improve health outcomes. The authors noted that our changing healthcare system offers clinicians more opportunities to engage patients in nutrition counseling, though few do.

Because self-monitoring of dietary intake is critical to achieving weight and nutrition goals, demand is high for easy-to-use apps that make food tracking easier, help users interpret the results, and use data to set goals and develop meal plans. FitGenie is an innovative app that uses artificial intelligence to give people their own “nutritionist” that tailors meal plans and recommendations based on individual factors, according to the popular technology blog TechCrunch. And more apps are likely to follow.

Question: Is there a nutritional benefit to sprouting beans or other seeds? Answer: While I don’t want to discourage you from eating nutritious beans and seeds that haven’t been sprouted, sprouting or germinating seeds does change their nutritional profile and make them more digestible. All kinds of seeds make delicious sprouts. These includenewsletter_teaser: Sprouting and germinating seeds does change their nutritional profile and make them more digestible.

Just what the wellness community needed—yet another study questioning what we thought we knew about nutrition and health. When results of the massive, multicontinent “PURE” (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology) nutrition study were published, headlines blared:

When you first start trying to lose weight, the math is straightforward: To lose 1 pound, create a 3,500-calorie deficit by eating less and moving more. But as the weight comes off, the body’s metabolism slows as it tries to maintain a “set point” weight, and the math stops working. People need a greater caloric deficit to keep losing weight. And for most people, the weight creeps back up over time.newsletter_teaser: People need a greater caloric deficit to keep losing weight. And for most people, the weight creeps back up over time. What if there was a way to offset this metabolic adaptation?

Ozzy Osbourne was curious and decided to have his genome sequenced. “Given the swimming pools of booze I’ve guzzled over the years—not to mention all of the cocaine, morphine, sleeping pills, cough syrup, LSD, Rohypnol . . . you name it—there’s really no plausible medical reason why I should still be alive,” he said in the Sunday Times of London in 2010. “Maybe my DNA could say why.”

Technology makes so much nutrition information available at the touch of a button that people get muddled about what, when and how much to eat. Case in point: A Google search of “intermittent fasting” yields a mix of criticism and rave reviews. Numerous varieties of intermittent fasting also pop up, adding to the confusion. How do you give your clients practical, evidence-based suggestions amid all these mixed signals? Below, experts weigh in with scientifically grounded advice on some of your clients’ most pressing nutrition questions.newsletter_teaser: Diet experts separate fact from fiction on ketogenic, Paleo and plant-based strategies (plus many more).

For many, autumn is associated with beautiful colors, crisp weather, football season and a welcome change of routine after the heat of summer. Fall also marks the start of what has begun to feel like “competitive-eating season” for Americans. From the time Halloween arrives to that last glass of New Year’s bubbly, we are bombarded with occasions that call for sweets, alcohol and other decadent goodies that tempt us to eat and imbibe at every turn.newsletter_teaser: Getting back to basics and deftly swerving around holiday calorie overload just got easier with these simple approaches.

From small studios to nationwide club chains, fitness companies are finding ways to help clients get better at navigating their nutritional challenges. They’re doing things like building smoothie bars, convening healthy supper clubs with candlelight dinners, bringing in chefs to provide cooking demonstrations, and offering seminars with registered dietitians.newsletter_teaser: Owners of clubs and studios across the United States explain the appeal of adding diet coaching, cooking classes and other nutrition programs to their physical activity regimens.