Tips

• Beat Bloating for a Flatter Belly in Three Days

  Your pants fit tighter today than just yesterday morning, and you can't help but notice your protruding midsection when you reach down to lace your shoes. Belly bloat can be a demoralizing experience, and that...[more]

• What You Should Be Eating Before Your Workout

  If your workout session is going to be less than 90 minutes, it's better to workout at least three hours after eating to ensure all carbohydrate has been metabolized. Carbohydrate is converted into energy in...[more]

• A Healthy All-Natural Sweetener?

  Sweeteners termed "all natural" have been gaining popularity at record speed over the last few years, spawning a slew of new calorie-free sweeteners. Stevia was the most recent natural sweetener to hit the market, but...[more]

• Chocolate Milk: The Drink of Champions

  With so many pre- and post-workout supplements, sports drinks, and powders available it can become a brain rattling task figuring out the best way to replenish your body with the essential nutrients, electrolytes and other...[more]

• 7 Ways to Be Cereal Savvy

  Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are a healthy, easy, and fast way to start the day off on the right foot. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth Health Study found that eating cereal provided more...[more]

• 5 Foods to Eat Before Your Next Long Run

  I'm a busy person--many of you probably are too. Sometimes we plan our runs and other times it seems as though there's no time left in the day to do anything. There are times when...[more]

• 13 Quick and Healthy Breakfasts

  We've all heard the familiar phrase, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," and this couldn't be more accurate. Not only does a healthy breakfast provide you with energy to tackle your busy...[more]

• 6 Healthy Dips & Spreads

  Summer produce is starting to go bad and autumn's harvest is not far from ripening, so what better way to use and enjoy the seasonal produce than with a variety of dips and spreads? Healthy...[more]

• The Risks and Benefits of Juicing

  Juicing seems to be the latest health craze. First, there was the cabbage soup diet, followed by the Atkins diet, gluten-free diets, the South Beach diet, the Paleo diet, and so on. Proponents of juicing...[more]

• How You Can Escape August with Your Waistline Intact

  August is here--a month full of vacations, picnics, and long summer nights spent lounging on humid porches. It's an easy month for you to wander away from otherwise healthy habits. But it doesn't have to...[more]

• The 5 Health Benefits of Green Tea

  Tea is one of the most valued and widely consumed drinks in the world. Besides being a delicious, inexpensive beverage that has no calories, tea has a unique set of natural chemicals that provide various...[more]

• Revisiting Your 2012 Resolutions

  I realize it's July, but now may be the perfect time to re-assess your New Year's resolutions. In looking up the most common resolutions, it's not a surprise that most are related to health. "I'm...[more]

• The 80/20 Split: Separating Healthy Choices from Everything Else

  Last week I wrote about my eating disorder struggle and how I eventually returned to my healthy happy self. I'm proud to say that I've now maintained an appropriate weight for over two years. However...[more]

• 5 Superior Superfoods

  If you're like most people, you want to maximize your nutrition, improve your health, slow the aging process, fight disease, and control calories, all while eating food that's flavorful and enjoyable! While this may seem...[more]

• You Know You Should Eat Less Salt. We've Got 4 Tips to Help

  Salt is everywhere. Walk through your grocery store and you'll notice countless new savory foods on the market. Restaurants continue to introduce new menu items that entice us with the taste of fat, sugar, and...[more]

• Feeling Tired? It's Probably What You Ate

  "Fatigue." Ugh, it's a word I get tired of hearing from my clients in my private practice. (Actually, not really, I love helping my clients!) But if food is our energy source--and we eat so...[more]

• Everything You Need to Know About Staying Hydrated

  Water makes up between 45 percent and 75 percent of your weight. For many, especially active folks, maintaining a healthy fluid balance can be difficult. However, keeping your body hydrated is vital for proper functioning.Staying...[more]

• Got a Summer Cold? Maybe You Need to Change Your Diet

  Think immunity is just at the mercy of your genes? To some extent it is. But stress level, the amount and quality of sleep, and diet actually play a much larger role than you think....[more]

• The Skinny on Losing Weight with Green Coffee Beans

  The latest buzz brewing in the nutrition world is the recent link between green unroasted coffee beans and weight loss. A recent study found that overweight individuals lost a significant percentage of their body weight...[more]

• Are You a Compulsive Eater? Answer Our Questions to Find Out

  Hunger is not always the main reason we choose to eat. Sometimes we turn to food for emotional reasons. We feel compelled to eat when we're angry, depressed, sad, or lonely. We sometimes eat to...[more]

• 4 Strategies to Tame Your Sweet Tooth

  You've gone through your kitchen and tossed out all processed foods. You've stocked up on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You've even gone organic! But you're still craving sugar. Sound familiar?Don't let those sweet tooth...[more]

• Smart Substitutions: On-the-Go Snacks

  Do you have a busy lifestyle that has you dashing here and there with little time for a healthy, leisurely lunch?Whether it's the challenge of juggling work and getting the kids to their activities or...[more]

• Feeling Full on Fewer Calories

  One of the biggest obstacles you'll encounter while cutting back on calories is feeling full throughout the day. Hunger will sneak up on you when you least expect it, and it's best to be...[more]

• Lack of Sleep: A Weighty Issue

  Not getting enough sleep can do more than just make you feel sluggish the next day--it can actually sabotage your weight-loss goals. When you feel tired or low on energy, you typically reach for starchy...[more]

• Spicy Foods: How Pepper Can Help Curb Hunger

  Hot peppers not only add delicious heat to your favorite dishes, they can also provide an array of health benefits. Hot peppers contain a component called capsaicin, which has been shown to kill off cancer...[more]

• The 10 Easy Steps to Weight Loss

  Over the last 20 years, food portions have increased dramatically. As the size of our plates have grown, so has the expectation that the larger amount of food we receive, the better the value. However,...[more]

• 5 Best-Kept Secrets to Include in Your Diet

  You always hear about foods that you need to avoid or eliminate from your diet. What about foods that you should be eating, but may not be aware of? Here are a few that may...[more]

• The 8 Powerhouse Foods You Should Be Eating

  These 8 powerhouse foods are filled with nutrients that are very beneficial for your body. Consider adding these foods to your diet to assist in weight loss and add antioxidants, fiber, and omega 3's -...[more]

• Smart Substitutions: 5 'Staples' to Trade Out of Your Pantry

  Any stop to the grocery store is made quicker and easier when you just have a few 'staples' to pick up. There are many things we like to keep on hand for snacks, quick dinners,...[more]

• 9 Tricks to Staying Healthy When Eating Out

  Eating out can be a gamble especially for people who are watching their weight or managing certain health conditions. Many of the foods prepared outside of the home are high in calories, fat, sodium, and...[more]

• 5 Eating Habits You Should Break

  Some of your daily habits may be hindering your health or weight loss goals. Little things you do throughout the day can either propel you forward or take you back a step, and either way,...[more]

• The 411 on Sushi

  What exactly is sushi? What about sashimi? Sushi is often touted as being healthy, but not all options at your favorite fish establishment are created equal, and some pack significantly more calories than you think....[more]

• Smart Substitutions: Eating Out

  Many foods offered at restaurants are not prepared in the same healthful way that you would make them at home. Heavy use of sugar, oil, butter, refined grains, and salt is all too common. But...[more]

• Healthy Living 101: The Ins and Outs of Fiber

  Fiber comes from plants and can be found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Fiber is the portion of plant foods that the body is not able to digest or absorb. What...[more]

• 5 Common Foods That Are Ruining Your Waistline

  When I speak to clients, I frequently hear the words: "I thought that was good for you!" There are many foods that seem to be "healthy" but may actually be helping you gain weight. Here...[more]

• Smart Substitutions: Sweet Cravings

  Eating healthy does not mean that you must eliminate all sweets from your diet. You just have to be smart about how you satisfy your sweet tooth. It's normal to gravitate towards sweetness; the problem...[more]

• Celebrate Valentine's Day in a Healthy Way

  Valentine's Day brings not only feelings of love and joy, it also brings high-calorie chocolates, candies, cookies, and other treats. Since February is American Heart Month, which aims to encourage adopting permanent lifestyle changes to...[more]

• Healthy Living 101: Understanding Whole Grains

  Whole grains are made up of the entire or "whole" grain, including the bran, germ, and innermost part of the kernel, the endosperm. Each portion of the grain or seed plays an important role in...[more]

• Being a Couch Potato Is More Harmful Than You Think

  The idea of "couch potatoes" tends to conjure up images of overweight, lazy unkempt slacker-types. We've heard about the research that has shown that the more hours of television watched per day, the higher the...[more]

• Healthy Living 101: Classifying Foods

  Foods can be classified by the way they affect the body and/or by their food group. It is important to understand both in order to balance your meals and achieve optimal health. Macronutrients The Merriam-Webster...[more]

• Proteins, Fats, and Carbs: How to Balance Your Diet

  Dieting can be confusing. High-protein diets claim to help you lose weight quickly, but can lead to high cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease. High-carbohydrate diets may be low in fat, but can...[more]

• Excess Weight Ages Us More Quickly

  We all know that being overweight or obese can pose threats to our health, especially at a young age. But what effects does overweight or obesity have on the actual aging process? Obese Children Become...[more]

• Healthy Living 101: How to Read a Nutrition Label

  Too often, purchasing food can be confusing, especially with all of the persuasive marketing tactics used by food companies. Learning how to read, understand, and compare food labels can help you maintain, manage, control, and/or...[more]

• Eat This, Not That: Calorie Cutters

  If you eat more calories than your body needs, your body will inevitable store them as excess weight. The trick is to reduce your calorie intake without feeling like you are depriving yourself - and...[more]

• Ideal Body Composition: What You Should Know

  We live in a culture that has become increasingly more obsessed with body image and weight. Dangerously thin bodies are celebrated and coveted, perpetuating the unrealistic goal of obtaining an ideal body--one devoid of any...[more]

• Eat This, Not That: Breakfast Edition

  You've heard that breakfast is the most important meal. It boosts your metabolism, staves off hunger, and provides you energy to start and get through your day. But what if you are making bad breakfast...[more]

• Real FitDay Users Share: What Was Your "A-Ha" Moment?

  What sparked you to embark on your fitness journey? For many of us, it was one moment or incident - the "a-ha" moment - that got our butts in gear and changed our lives forever....[more]

• Meal Planning Made Simple

  The key to long-term weight management and healthy eating is consuming a balanced diet. Restrictive eating and fad diets may provide temporary weight loss, but they may also provide fatigue, hunger, food fantasizing, malnutrition, binging,...[more]

• 10 Tools to Help Keep You on Track

  1. Good Pair of Shoes Make sure you have a pair of shoes that fit you well and are made for the type of activity you plan to do. For example, don't plan to jog...[more]

• 4 New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep!

  The new year is here! While many, many people plan to use this landmark time to get healthier or lose weight, the problem with these goals is that they are difficult to maintain. Most...[more]

• Healthy Kitchen Staples to Start 2012

  If you want to make over your health, refrigerator, and pantry, then make a note of these 12 staples that will get you eating right in the New Year. 1. Assorted Whole Grains Cereals, pasta,...[more]

• The Healthy Food Halo

  Have you ever noticed that certain foods are deemed "healthy" and we seem to think we can eat these foods in unlimited amounts because of their purported health benefits? This has been referred to as...[more]

• 10 Tips to Help You Achieve Your New Year's Health Goals

  With the new year comes the opportunity for a fresh start. For many people, this means leading a healthier lifestyle and losing weight. If this is your goal, follow these tips to stay on track....[more]

• The FitDay Guide to Healthier Holiday Baking

  The holiday season always seems to throw us all into a baking frenzy. We whip up dozens of cookies, cupcakes, pies, candies, and other treats that we then decorate with beautiful holiday colors. While all...[more]

• 5 Ways to Eat Mindfully at Holiday Parties

  The holidays can cause an internal struggle between the desire to splurge on festive treats at numerous feasts and the will to avoid the inevitable weight gain that ensues after overindulging. However, there are ways...[more]

• Exercising Outdoors in the Winter

  Winter weather can deter even the most dedicated exercisers. Less daylight, colder temperatures, and the temptation to curl up under warm blankets makes keeping up with your exercise routine exponentially more difficult. However, just because...[more]

• Using Thanksgiving Day Leftovers in a Healthy Way

  Turkey Day has come and gone, leaving us all feeling a little softer around the middle. So what are you supposed to do with all of those leftovers if you're trying to avoid overeating several...[more]

• How to Cut Extra Fat, Sugar, and Calories from Fall Vegetable Dishes

  Sweet potatoes, yams, pumpkins, and other colorful squash are available in abundance during the fall season. Upcoming holidays like Thanksgiving also bring these vegetables to the forefront, showing up in numerous recipes. Orange-colored vegetables are...[more]

• Spilling the Beans on Bean Benefits

  We all know that fiber is an important part of a healthy diet. We also know that fiber is likely our closest ally when it comes to feeling full in between meals and snacks, which...[more]

• 4 Ways to Eat Healthy During the Holiday Season

  The holidays are a time for us to gather with family and friends to celebrate. For better or worse, with celebration comes food. If you have been working very hard at eating healthy, losing weight,...[more]

• Stress Eating: What You Can Do to Keep It at Bay

  Stress, boredom, or any array of emotions can lead to cravings for food. If these cravings take control too often, you might find yourself eating large portions of high calorie, sweet, and/or fatty foods. However,...[more]

• Can Eating More Frequently Lead to Weight Loss?

  Have you ever wondered how some people can eat quite frequently but never seem to gain weight? It's often said that eating smaller, more frequent meals fuels your metabolism and helps keep you satisfied throughout...[more]

• 5 Food Safety Tips for the Holidays

  Tis the season! The holidays are a wonderful time of goodwill, giving thanks, and gathering around warm fires with loved ones. The holiday season also includes festive celebrations centered around delicious food. Holiday parties are...[more]

• Healthy Holiday Eating: A Comparison of Two Meal Plans

  During holiday gatherings, you may be confronted with array of food and drink options that you rarely see during the rest of the year. Though overindulging could derail your health plans, do not despair! Study...[more]

• 4 Things to Know About Flu Season

  The Truth About the Flu Shot Each year, experts from the US Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study virus samples collected from 136 national...[more]

• A Guide to Healthy Holiday Eating

  The holidays are upon us with 6 weeks of temptations from the end of November to the beginning of January, with well-wishers who leave plates of cookies at the office or drop by with gooey...[more]

• 5 Ways to Prevent Weight Gain When You Can't Make Your Own Food

  Staying healthy can be difficult when you have limited resources. College students, for example, typically live in dorm rooms with only small refrigerators and no access to stoves or other kitchen appliances. Frequent business travelers...[more]

• Understanding Metabolism: How It Influences Weight Control

  It may be tempting to blame your failed weight loss attempts or weight gain on a slow metabolism. However, it is rare that excessive weight gain from a medical problem slows metabolism, as in cases...[more]

• 8 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget

  It's often been said that eating healthy is too expensive. This is simply not true. With a few strategies, you can save money while also avoiding extra pounds. Frozen fruits & veggiesPurchasing frozen produce is...[more]

• Understanding Metabolism: What Determines Your BMR?

  Metabolism refers to the processes that the body needs to function. Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of energy expressed in calories that a person needs to keep the body functioning at rest. Some of...[more]

• How Do You Stay Motivated? 4 Tips from a Dietitian

  Motivation and consistency are the key components to being successful with almost anything one sets out to accomplish. Whether you are working toward weight loss, quitting smoking or winning a race, motivation and consistency will...[more]

• Eat This, Not That: A Comparison of Two Meal Plans

  Every day, we are constantly faced with choices about what to eat. For most of us, it's got to be quick and easy, and it's got to taste good. Unfortunately, the healthy benefits of a...[more]

• Low, Less, and Lite: How to Decipher 'Healthy' Food Labels

  Ever walk down a grocery store aisle and try to decipher labels? Or have you had a hard time deciding whether a product labeled as "low fat" is better than "low sugar?" You are not...[more]

• Great Flavor with Healthy Additives

  Can you really add flavor without adding calories or risking adverse health effects? We have all heard that we should cut down on the salt we add to our foods to prevent hypertension, and that...[more]

• 3 Steps to Smart Snacking

  If you ask anyone in the health profession how often you should eat, you will most likely be told to eat 5 to 6 small meals spread out over the course of each day. The...[more]