Fat is a very concentrated form of energy. Ounce-for-ounce or gram-for-gram, fat supplies 2.25 times as many calories as carbohydrates or protein. Learning ways to limit your fat intake from foods you purchase and in the foods you cook for yourself can significantly improve your ability to manage your weight. Advances in cookware technology, food [...]

Sharing a meal is one of the oldest and most popular ways to socialize. With the holiday season on the horizon, invitations to food-oriented events are bound to multiply. Developing a strategy for coping with social eating is key to maintaining your weight loss goals.  How you handle dining out will be determined in part [...]

Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate made by plants.  Fiber provides structural support for plants the way bones do for the human body. Fiber can’t be digested and absorbed; thus, it is not classified as a nutrient. Nonetheless, accumulating evidence suggests that fiber plays important roles in nutrition and gastrointestinal health beyond its long-recognized role in [...]

Bread has often been called the “staff of life.” This term is a good description of the role carbohydrates have played in the human diet since the dawn of history. Almost every culture has relied on a particular native starch or grain as a major source of calories. For example: Rice in Asia Wheat in [...]

When asked why they overeat, most dieters commonly confess that they eat when they are under stress. Considering the numerous stressful situations people encounter in modern everyday life, it’s no wonder so many of us are battling the bulge. If you suspect stress plays a significant role in your eating habits, learning more about stress [...]

Every day, Americans are bombarded with health and nutrition advice, much of it conflicting. It is no wonder Americans have trouble figuring out how to plan and eat a healthy diet. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published jointly every 5 years since 1980 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department [...]

Self Esteem. It’s a term we come across frequently in the media and in self-help books, but when asked to define it, most Americans have difficulty pinpointing its meaning. Many think of it as body image. While body image does influence self-esteem, it is only one of several such factors. Self-esteem is a person’s sense [...]

The rapidly escalating rates of obesity in the US have caused health experts, concerned consumers, and politicians to scrutinize the fast food industry’s typical offerings and conclude that fast food choices are contributing to the nation’s weight gain. Consequently, these groups have pressured the fast food industry to offer consumers healthier fare. Healthy Fast Food? [...]

Protein is the body’s primary building material. It is used to construct and maintain bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, blood cells, hair, and nails. Protein is also used to make many of the biochemicals (enzymes, hormones, transport molecules, neurotransmitters, and vitamins) the body uses to perform essential metabolic functions. Protein is one of three nutrients that [...]

Bariatric surgery and even strict dieting techniques such as following a full-formula liquid diet for 12 weeks can reduce sensations of hunger (the physical desire to eat), but neither weight loss approach can curb appetite (the emotional desire for food or a particular food item). Research has shown the most people who are significantly overweight [...]