Sandy Todd Webster
Sandy Todd Webster is the editor in chief of IDEA’s award-winning publications. She is Precision Nutrition Level 1 certified and is a Rouxbe Certified Plant-Based Professional cook.View FitConnect Profile
Article Archive
For fitness pros to stay relevant, change is a critical catalyst.
The same holds true in magazine publishing and content development. Every few years, editors and creative directors must shake things up to re-engage the reader’s attention.
In our September print issue, we phased in the first of a three-step redesign; with the November-December print issue, we find ourselves in the thick of our remodel. So please excuse our dust and ignore the jackhammering! By January, we will have completed construction.
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If you read this column last month, you know that our team jetted off to Shanghai just weeks after the IDEA® World Convention to host the inaugural IDEA China, August 16–18. This absolute first for a major U.S.-Chinese fitness education event was a sold-out success! Over 1,500 enthusiastic Chinese fitness professionals packed every session over 3 days to absorb the most edgy and practical fitness information available today from a faculty of 28 standout IDEA subject-matter experts.
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The IDEA team has navigated through a period of exciting change over the past 18 months. Staying true to our professional values and our drive to Inspire the World to Fitness®, we have assessed each turn, innovated adroitly and charged forward. Big thinkers in all walks of life and business intuit that change equals opportunity. When we fail to welcome transition and, with it, some measured risk, we passively and perilously expose ourselves to becoming irrelevant.
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Awesome job getting your act together with a slow-cooker meal for tonight! But before you congratulate yourself too much, understand that turning on your evening meal from the office may have just opened the back door to a cyber security hack on your phone—and your life.
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When it comes to the brain and aging well, size definitely matters.
A study published January 4 online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, shows that older people who followed a Mediterranean diet retained more brain volume over a 3–year period than those who did not follow the diet as closely. Contrary to earlier studies, eating more fish and less meat was not related to changes in the brain.
The window on green almonds opens and closes almost simultaneously and is happening now. For the first few weeks of spring, you can find these fuzzy, first-harvest gems at farmers' markets or in specialty stores. Some good sleuthing can land you a batch online, so check around.
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Many of us can remember when almost every kid at school showed up with a lunch whose centerpiece was then a childhood rite of passage: the PB&J sandwich. Easy to prepare, nutritious and, best of all, delicious, it was a quick-fire solution for harried moms packing daily lunches. But today, because of the ubiquity of serious peanut allergies in children, most classrooms and even entire schools are "peanut no-fly zones," and it's not unusual for kids to have emergency epi pens at the ready.
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The pace of corporate merger and acquisition in the food industry is as rapid as it is aggressive. Nearly every day, more news emerges of companies literally at the top of the food chain swallowing smaller brands into their portfolios.
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The convenience of bagged, prewashed salad can be a big plus when it comes to getting ample servings of vegetables every day. Just when you thought you had this part figured out, in come the research party-poopers (in the best way, of course) to rain on your easy greens.
Simply put, be careful. Even though most bagged salad is washed multiple times and then carefully sealed, the potential for foodborne illness still exists, according to a study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology (2017; 83 [1], e02416).
Each January, the creative minds at Epicurious.com throw down the #cook90 challenge. Specifically, they guide and cajole legions of home cooks to prep three meals a day, every day, for an entire month. If you don't cook often or well, the notion of whipping up 90 squares in a month (or even a year!) may send you diving for the smartphone to ensure the UberEATS food delivery app is still in good working order.
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Two recent peer-reviewed studies discuss the proven benefits of consuming moderate amounts of protein regularly throughout the day (protein-pacing) combined with a multidimensional exercise regimen that includes resistance training, sprint interval exercise, stretching and endurance training. Focusing on the quality of both food and exercise rather than the quantity of either seems to be the key.
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Last year during the presidential campaign, The New York Times reported that then candidate Donald J. Trump, a junk food aficionado of sorts, has a BMI of 30 (which technically makes him obese). President Bill Clinton, now a strict vegan following his cardiovascular woes, was not always such a pious eater, nor was he svelte. He once famously ended a jog by stopping at McDonald’s for a snack. At a time when obesity-related illness is costing our healthcare system untold dollars, how important do you believe it is for the U.S.
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A study reported last December by the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that while all kids are seeing more food ads per hour of television watching, black youth are viewing up to 49% more.
As reported in Pediatric Obesity, researchers analyzed Nielsen data from 2008 and 2012 to compare food-ad viewing rates. Although the amount of TV viewing time did not change in those years, the number of food ads seen per hour increased for white children and adolescents and rose even more for black youth.
We already know that regular physical activity is linked to overall better health. Now, research from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business has shown that being more physically invested in serving ourselves food can influence behavior that might otherwise lead us to overeat.
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Unless you’ve actually eaten heirloom benne seeds, you would probably lump them in with run-of-the-mill sesame. It can be argued they are one and the same, but for knowing palates, they couldn’t be more different in flavor. Benne is a low-country staple introduced to America by slaves who brought the seeds from Africa and cultivated them on plantations. In today’s South, you’ll find them on rolls, in crackers and cookies, and sprinkled on both sweet and savory dishes for finishing texture and an umami pop.
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If you knew that throwing away food was increasing greenhouse gas emissions or negatively affecting the earth, would it change your behavior? A study published in the January issue of PLOS ONE showed that diners waste far less food when they’re schooled on the harm their leftovers inflict on the environment.
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If you’re in the habit of eating al desko—that is, you tote your lunch to work and eat at your desk—consider stocking a mini pantry for yourself to give your midday meal a little extra zip.
Here are a few tips gleaned recently from the Bon Appétit Foodcast:
A delicious and sometimes pricey cornerstone to healthy Mediterranean-style diets, olive oil is delicate stuff and can only be fully enjoyed when stored properly. Protect your investment and ensure maximum flavor and freshness by practicing the following:
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We already know that regular physical activity is linked to overall better health. Now, research from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business has shown that being more physically invested in serving ourselves food can influence behavior that might otherwise lead us to overeat.
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Asparagus season is about to start, especially in warmer parts of the country where you can source local produce at your farmers’ market. Here’s a simple and delicious recipe for a colorful, healthy side dish or a full lunch plate that combines the exotic flavors of asparagus with the sweetness of red grapes and the creamy, earthy crunch of pistachios.
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T shallots, minced
About 20–30 red, seedless grapes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 t lemon juice