Nia and family hit the beach for fun and fitness. Land-locked? Scope out local activities. Photo courtesy Gene Reed.

The best way to counter holiday “calorie creep” and kick-start New Year’s resolutions to get fit, stress less, and be organized is to do some advance planning. Start now with tips from busy MBFGW actress, mom, and screenwriter Nia Vardalos:

Get Fit: Don’t go into hibernation just because it’s the holiday season. Carve out three hours every week (in one chunk or shorter bits) for family walks, gym workouts, or video fitness challenges. ”Our favorite family outing is taking our dogs to the beach,” says Nia, who lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband and young daughter. “We have two dogs—a giant lab and a medium round-bodied mix-mutt. California has a few beaches where dogs are allowed to be off-leash and it’s hilarious to see our normally sleepy dogs chasing each other across the sand and trying to bite waves. Walking, running, and playing in the sand is fun for us, too. Whatever picnic food our daughter and I prepare—from turkey and mashed avocado on whole-wheat toast to cold rigatoni and peas in an olive oil and balsamic dressing—it all always tastes delectably delicious for the simple reason that we’re consuming it outdoors. Sand included!”

Nia’s script for healthy living balances work, exercise, and family time. Photo courtesy Jackie Tucker.

Stress Less: Take an inventory of time spent working, playing, and relaxing. Come up with the unique balance that’s best for you and your family and ways to achieve it. Nia says, “My day may consist of getting my daughter to school, then getting to an exercise class, then writing or filming all day. But I’m fine with that as long as I prepare by packing a healthy lunch like sliced chicken on arugula, plus snacks like an apple or celery and peanut butter.”

Be Organized: Nia recently teamed up with the “Life Supplemented” campaign to encourage healthy habits. “Sticking with a health and wellness routine can be a challenge for busy moms like me, so I recently downloaded the WannaBeWell app from Life Supplemented to help keep me organized. It’s free, easy, fun, and makes sense. My favorite feature is the personalized Wellness Coach that delivers daily motivational and education tips—without the yelling from a personal trainer! You can also set up reminders to take vitamins and supplements, just like getting texts from a friend. And for each download of the WannaBeWell app, $1 is provided to Vitamin Angels (up to $13,500) to help get nutrients to children in need.”

More about Nia Vardalos: Academy Award, Golden Globe, Writers Guild nominated actress and writer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, winner of Independent Spirit Award, Peoples’ Choice Award, Nia Vardalos most recently played in the American Girl movie: McKenna Shoots For The Stars. Her new book Instant Mom (Harper Collins) on adopting her daughter is available in April 2013 wherever books are sold. Vardalos lives in Los Angeles with her husband Ian Gomez of TBS’ Cougar Town, their daughter, and several pets.

Holiday Health & Fitness Tune-Up: “My-Big-Fat-Greek-Wedding” Style The Saturday Evening Post

Stone fruits have bioactive compounds that potentially can fight off obesity-related diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

It turns out stone fruits such as peaches, plums, and nectarines are both tasty and good for your health.

These juicy fruits have bioactive compounds that can potentially fight off obesity-related diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to new studies by Texas AgriLife Research.

The study, presented at the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia, showed that compounds in stone fruits could be a weapon against “metabolic syndrome,” in which obesity and inflammation lead to serious health issues, according to Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, AgriLife Research food scientist.

“Our studies have shown that stone fruits—peaches, plums and nectarines—have bioactive compounds that can potentially fight the syndrome,” Cisneros-Zevallos says. “Our work indicates that phenolic compounds present in these fruits have anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties in different cell lines and may also reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol LDL which is associated to cardiovascular disease.”

What is unique to these fruits, he says, is that their mixture of the bioactive compounds work simultaneously within the different components of the disease.

“Our work shows that the four major phenolic groups—anthocyanins, clorogenic acids, quercetin derivatives, and catechins—work on different cells—fat cells, macrophages and vascular endothelial cells,” he explains. “They modulate different expressions of genes and proteins depending on the type of compound.

“However, at the same time, all of them are working simultaneously in different fronts against the components of the disease, including obesity, inflammation, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease,” he explains.

Cisneros-Zevallos says this is believed to be the first time that “bioactive compounds of a fruit have been shown to potentially work in different fronts against a disease.

“Each of these stone fruits contain similar phenolic groups but in differing proportions so all of them are a good source of health-promoting compounds and may complement each other,” he says, adding that his team plans to continue studying the role of each type of compound on the molecular mechanisms and confirm the work with mice studies.

The studies on the health benefits of stone fruit are funded by the California Tree Fruit Agreement, The California Plum Board, the California Grape and Tree Fruit League and the Texas Department of Agriculture. The Cisneros-Zevallos lab team in this study included Freddy Ibanez, Paula Castillo, Paula Simons, and Dr. Congmei Cao.

Nutrition facts provided by the USDA National Nutrient Database.

The Health Benefits of Peaches The Saturday Evening Post

“When you’re on a picnic there’s no distraction from the meal,” Stone says. “Whether you’re on a beach or in the park or in the woods under a big tree, you can focus on your company and enjoy spending time together—all the food is prepared!”

Australia’s most popular culinary export offers simple, creative ideas to spice up your next outing.

Moveable Feast The Saturday Evening Post

Are you an avid coffee drinker? Here’s something you can use as an argument every time someone warns you against drinking your third cup of coffee for the day: Coffee may actually add some years to your life.

A paper published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine details a study that began in 1995. A total of 402,260 test subjects (none of whom had heart disease or cancer) between the ages 50 and 71 were asked about their coffee drinking habits. Only 42,000 of all the test subjects were non-coffee drinkers, while most of them admitted to drinking two to three cups a day. A small number of subjects – 15,000 – said their daily coffee consumption usually reaches six cups. 

By the time 2008 rolled in, 52,000 of the test subjects had already passed away. Based on the data gathered by the researchers, men who drank two to three cups of coffee daily were 10% less like to die, while it goes up to 13% for women. The percentage even reaches 16% for women who drink four to five cups a day.

According to the study, it doesn’t make a difference whether the coffee you drink is decaf or not – it’s not the caffeine that matters. Researchers haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact substance that benefits your health — it could be any one of coffee’s many components. It’s clear that more research is needed to establish the connection between drinking coffee and having a longer life, but Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health believes it’s “the best evidence we have.”

Before you get up from your seat to get another cuppa, Dr. Hu has two pieces of advice for you. First, avoid cream and sugar and anything that could negate the health properties of coffee. Second, filter your coffee beans instead of boiling them, because filtering removes the components that can raise your cholesterol levels. 

Study: A Cup (or Six) of Coffee a Day May Keep Death at Bay The Saturday Evening Post

But a new study suggests that the inability to hold off on things we desire may not be the result of upbringing or some kind of moral failing. Turns out, some of us are just hard-wired for instant gratification, according to a 40-year follow-up study led by B.J. Casey, director of the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. The research first looked at the behavior of preschoolers who were offered the choice between a cookie now or two cookies later. Subsequent results show that the kids who couldn’t delay gratification grew into adults who were similarly unable to do so.

Over the course of the recent study, the researchers were able for the first time to identify the specific areas of the brain where desire takes hold. “This could have major implications in the treatment of obesity and addictions,” says Casey.

“I Want it Now!” The Saturday Evening Post

A graduate of California Culinary Academy (CCA) in San Francisco, Cheryl has worked in top restaurants in France and San Francisco. She now has an urban farm in Napa, California.

“I don’t like cereal.”

“I’m allergic to eggs.”

“I’m not hungry when I wake up.”

“I don’t have time.”

There are plenty of reasons that people skip breakfast. But there are even more reasons why they shouldn’t.

Aside from increasing mental and physical performance, a breakfast of champions can help you to achieve and maintain optimal weight and energy levels. Furthermore, what you put in your mouth (or don’t) in the morning can also be indicative of your future health! Here’s how the first meal of the day can affect your lifelong health:

1. Energy. Who doesn’t want to have more energy? Whether you love working out, have an active lifestyle, or both, skipping breakfast can undermine your best efforts. Our bodies need fuel to power us through busy days and intense workouts. It all starts with breakfast. It’s no surprise that studies show that breakfast eaters have more endurance and strength than breakfast skippers.

2. Weight Control. Some people think that skipping meals, starting with breakfast, is a great way to lose weight. That’s simply not the case. Breakfast-skipping actually has the opposite effect. Holding off until noon for that first meal usually results in uber-hunger. This can lead to an out-of-control appetite when you do eat because you’re so famished. That can result in both eating too fast and consuming too many calories. It also contributes to distorted hunger signals (e.g., you can’t tell when you’re full). Believe it or not, smaller, more frequent meals can make weight control much more likely. And researchers now believe that eating breakfast may reduce hunger later in the day too. It may also be responsible for the tendency to choose less dense (lower-calorie) foods at later meals.

3. Brain power. A veggie omelette + whole grain toast = recipe for a productive morning? Yes, researchers believe that increased clarity and concentration are due in part to replenishing glucose, the brain’s main energy source. Sure, glucose is sugar, but it’s not quite that simple. It has something to do with a concept called the “glycemic index,” or GI. According to Dr. E. Leigh Gibson of Roehampton University in London, most studies suggest that quite a small amount—about 25 grams of carbohydrate (equivalent to a slice of whole grain toast with a tablespoon of sugar-free jam)—can improve performance, especially of memory. However, much more carbohydrate—especially if they’re high-GI foods (such as a cup of sugary cereal or a goopy cinnamon roll)—may actually impair memory. Her explanation for this is that “a high carb dose provokes a big increase in cortisol, which is a stress hormone. If one is doing a challenging task, an increase in cortisol is known to impair memory.” So the quality of your carbs is just as important as the quantity. Complex carbs such as whole grain breads or cereals play a key role in a healthy and balanced breakfast.

4. Blood sugar control. Regular meal timing, starting with breakfast, is important for even blood sugar and to balance the peaks and valleys of our blood sugar throughout the day. Not only does even blood sugar help prevent diabetes, it provides more energy and better long-term health (including decreased risk of heart disease).

A breakfast of champions can help you to achieve and maintain optimal weight and energy levels.

While blood sugar levels are highly regulated, with only minor fluctuations, our food choices (and timing) definitely have an impact on this balance. Sugary drinks or high-GI (glycemic index—see note below) meals can cause more of a spike in blood sugar levels. According to Dr. Gibson, “If you fast all day, your blood sugar would only show a slight decrease over the course of the day. This is because of action of counter-regulatory hormones such as glucagon, cortisol and adrenaline, which can influence blood glucose production, storage and uptake. So one way to think of hunger is as a neuro-hormonal signal to the brain that the body is having to work at maintaining blood glucose. At the same time, outside of the brain, most tissues start to receive an increased supply of free fatty acids, as stored fat is broken down, which, unlike the brain, they can use for energy.”

“If you fast all day, your blood sugar would only show a slight decrease over the course of the day. This is because of action of counter-regulatory hormones such as glucagon, cortisol and adrenaline, which can influence blood glucose production, storage and uptake. So one way to think of hunger is as a neuro-hormonal signal to the brain that the body is having to work at maintaining blood glucose. At the same time, outside of the brain, most tissues start to receive an increased supply of free fatty acids, as stored fat is broken down, which, unlike the brain, they can use for energy.”

This is an elegant and complex system whose mysteries are still being unraveled. What we do know for sure is that blood sugar control is a very good thing.

Breakfast: It’s Time to Make Time The Saturday Evening Post

Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake

Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake

(Makes 8 servings)

Ingredients

• 1-1⁄3 cups flour
• ¾ cup quick-cooking oats
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoons salt
• ¾ cup milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup frozen blueberries*

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease an 8-inch round baking pan. Set aside.
In medium mixing bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a 1-cup measure stir milk, oil, and egg. Pour all at once into flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake until cake is golden and pulls away from sides of pan 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool on a rack, 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve warm.
*Blueberries should be firmly frozen when used in baking.

Salmon and Blueberry Salad with Red Onion Vinaigrette

Salmon and Blueberry Salad with Red Onion Vinaigrette

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced in half rings
• 1/4 cup Regina red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1-1/2 pounds salmon fillet, cut crosswise in 4 portions
• 6 cups lettuce leaves in bite-sized pieces
• 1cup fresh blueberries

Directions

In microwaveable cup, combine onion, red wine vinegar, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; cover loosely with plastic wrap; microwave on high power for 1 minute. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until onions turn pink, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat grill or broiler. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil on both sides of salmon fillets; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Grill or broil salmon, skin side down, until just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Divide lettuce leaves among 4 dinner plates; place salmon in the center. With slotted spoon, remove onions from vinegar; scatter onions, along with blueberries, over and around the fish. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into vinegar mixture; drizzle vinaigrette over salmon.

Berry Blue Smoothie

Berry Blue Smoothie

(Makes 3 servings)

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or slightly thawed frozen blueberries
• 1 6-ounce container low-fat vanilla or other flavored yogurt
• 1 cup fruit juice, such as orange, pineapple or apple
• 1 tablespoon honey or sugar, more or less to taste

Directions

In the container of an electric blender, place blueberries, yogurt, juice, and honey. Whirl until smooth. Serve immediately.
 
 

Blueberry-Topped Rice Cakes

Blueberry-Topped Rice Cakes

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

• ½ cup ricotta or cottage cheese
• 2 teaspoons apricot preserves
• 4 apple-cinnamon flavored rice cakes
• 1 cup thinly-sliced fresh fruit (such as apple, pear, nectarine or peach)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together ricotta and preserves.
Spoon an equal amount on each of the rice cakes almost to the edge.
Arrange fruit slices in circles, on top of the ricotta mixture.
Top each with ¼ cup of the blueberries.
Serve immediately.

Blueberry Shrimp Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Blueberry Shrimp Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

• Medium-size shrimp, boiled or grilled: ¾ pound (about 20)
• Fresh blueberries: 1 cup
• Walnut pieces, toasted: ½ cup
• Edamame or green peas, cooked: ½ cup
• Mixed salad greens: 5 ounces (about 4 cups)
• Lemon Vinaigrette: (recipe follows)
• Firm white cheese, such as feta, crumbled: 2 ounces (about ½ cup)

Directions

In a large salad bowl, toss shrimp, blueberries, walnut pieces, edamame (or peas), and salad greens
Evenly divide salad onto six plates. Drizzle with Lemon Vinaigrette (below). Sprinkle cheese around edges of salads
Lemon Vinaigrette
In a small mixing bowl, whisk ¼ cup vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon sugar, 1⁄8 teaspoon salt and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper.

Recipes/Photos Courtesy: The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.

Blueberry Bonanza The Saturday Evening Post

So, go ahead and treat your Valentine to chocolate. Cocoa beans are among the richest sources of antioxidants called flavonoids and polyphenols—similar to those found in wine—which benefit both your physical and mental health. I absolutely love to bake for friends and family, and how truly sweet it is when those recipes contain cocoa—and all its many benefits.

Protect your heart: The flavonoids in cocoa can lower your risk of heart attacks and stroke by helping to reduce the blood’s ability to clot. [1]

Quell stress: In a 2009 study conducted by Swiss scientists, eating dark chocolate daily reduced stress hormone levels. [2] Researchers measured stress levels of 30 healthy adults daily over two weeks and found that eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate daily reduced stress hormone levels in those who had high anxiety levels. (Just be sure to account for the 235 calories that 1.4 ounces of chocolate delivers—or you may be stressed to see extra pounds creeping on.)

Fight fatigue: Cocoa may help ward off fatigue as well. A small 2010 study in the UK found that polyphenols—the group of antioxidant class that includes flavonoids—helped sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome combat symptoms, including anxiety and depression. [3]
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, why not give your loved one a special treat made with cocoa. Not only will it liven the taste buds, but it will provide so many other benefits as well! Nothing better than the delicious, loving gift of health!

Chocolate Almond Pudding

The purer the form of cocoa, the more cocoa solids it has, and the more antioxidants it delivers.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS (1⁄2 CUP EACH)
There are a variety of ready-to-drink nut milks on the market, which are made by soaking nuts or seeds in water, blending, and then straining the liquid. Served warm or cold, this silky crowd-pleaser takes just minutes to prepare. If you have a nut allergy, you can also prepare the pudding using low-fat milk or soy milk.

• 1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups unflavored almond milk, preferably unsweetened or sweetened with brown rice syrup (or low fat or reduced fat milk)
• 1⁄3 cup agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds

In a 1-quart saucepan, combine the cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Add just enough of the milk to make a smooth paste. Gradually stir in the agave and the remaining milk.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour into 4 serving dishes and cool. Sprinkle with the almonds just before serving.

Nutrition Facts

PER SERVING
167 calories, 3 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 2 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 218 mg sodium

 
Cheryl Forberg RD is a New York Times bestselling author and a James Beard award-winning chef. Cheryl co-wrote the eating plan for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and was the show’s nutritionist for twelve seasons. Her latest book is Flavor First, and she writes a blog of cooking and nutrition tips. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook for more tips and recipes. And continue to read the Saturday Evening Post website for more regular nutrition tips and features from Cheryl.
 
 
 
 

Cocoa: Lovers’ Sweet Can Be a Healthful Treat! The Saturday Evening Post

A graduate of California Culinary Academy (CCA) in San Francisco, Cheryl has worked in top restaurants in France and San Francisco. She now has an urban farm in Napa, California.

The holidays are long gone, and the time of reckoning has come.

A month ago, we switched from party-goer to gym-goer, from festive cheer to mid-winter resolve. But by now, you may be having a post-holiday showdown with the bathroom scale, and the results are disappointing. Or you’re feeling sluggish and lackluster after weeks of snowed-in cabin fever without exercise.

Still, don’t let a slow starting pace discourage you. The key to getting back on track is to adopt the right frame of mind. Instead of berating yourself for slacking off, use a strategy called “framing” to isolate and contain the unhealthy indulgences that might have occurred. Just as a physical frame surrounds a picture, behavioral framing surrounds a splurge with a solid boundary of good habits. By reinforcing your exercise program and healthy eating plan before and after an indulgence, you give yourself permission to savor special treats, secure in the knowledge that the next day you’ll be right back on track. After all, a single day—or even several—won’t ruin your healthy lifestyle; it’s the long-term pattern that counts.

Now that we have a small dent in the New Year, don’t let a day or week of splurging turn into a month; the longer you go, the more slippery the slope and the tougher it is to get back on track.

Top Tips for Getting Back on Track:

Keep drinking.

Swap out festive libations for water! Try to drink 8 to 12 glasses each day—more if you’re working out. A recent study published in the journal Obesity found that drinking two cups of water prior to meals helps drop more pounds than without hydration. Water makes you feel full, and provides your body with the hydration it needs for optimum function. If you dislike the lack of flavor, add herbs like mint or basil or slices of citrus fruits or cucumber to a pitcher of water.

Swap cans and boxes for fresh food.

Stay away from processed foods in cans and boxes and start buying more fresh foods. You don’t have to be a fancy cook—buy a simple cookbook, and you may surprise yourself at the chef you find within and, in the long run, you’ll save money too.

Swap food rewards for non-food rewards.

It’s so easy to reach for a donut or candy at work when we’re having a stressful day. And after a rough day so many of us drown our worries in a cocktail (or two) or a rich comforting dinner to soothe ourselves into feeling better (temporarily!). Pay attention to emotional eating which causes us to make poor choices and even to eat when we’re not hungry. If an emotional trigger of stress or loneliness sabotages your best intentions, increase your awareness and substitute a hot bath, a book, or a walk for a bag of chips or bowl of ice cream.

Get moving. Exercise will give you more energy.

Get moving.

There’s nothing like an intense workout to combat winter blues. Although it may seem counterintuitive, exercise actually gives you more energy —and if you add weight training to your routine, you’ll build muscle mass and boost your metabolism, helping drop pounds even faster. If you haven’t added a workout into your weight loss plan, you may find that your stamina and strength have diminished a bit, but don’t let that hamper your restart effort. Keep moving on a regular basis, and you’ll soon find your fit self.

Swap fear for confidence.

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “Do something each day that scares you.” Take a swim class. Dust off your bicycle. Join a hiking club. Experiment til you find an activity you really enjoy. If you actually look forward to your workouts, you’ve made huge progress!

Eat often.

Include a good source of lean protein with your breakfast to feel full longer, and then eat five to six small meals a day. In a meal-skipping study at the National Institute on Aging, people who skipped meals during the day and had all of their calories at one nightly meal exhibited unhealthy changes in their metabolism, similar to unhealthy blood sugar levels observed in diabetics. And, of course, skipping meals or snacks increases your chances of coming to the table famished at the next meal and over-eating or making less healthy food choices.

Get plenty of sleep.

It’s easier to overeat when you’re tired, and fatigue can make it hard to stick to your work out plans. Caffeine, sugar and simple carbs are the worst choices for a pick-me-up, but they’re what we frequently turn to when sleep-deprived. Aim to get eight hours of sleep per night, and/or try taking short naps during the day. As extra insurance, pitch the junk food and have healthy snacks in the house at all times. That way, if a fatigue-induced craving does hit, the only choice you can make will be a good one.

 
Cheryl Forberg RD is a New York Times bestselling author and a James Beard award-winning chef. Cheryl co-wrote the eating plan for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and was the show’s nutritionist for twelve seasons. Her latest book is Flavor First, and she writes a blog of cooking and nutrition tips. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook for more tips and recipes. And continue to read the Saturday Evening Post website for more regular nutrition tips and features from Cheryl.
 
 
 
 

Get Your Diet Back on Track The Saturday Evening Post

Cheryl leads the way on a hike with contestants from "The Biggest Loser'"

Looking back, it’s easy to say we were pioneers in weight loss reality television—there are so many similar shows now. Though I’m happy our work inspired and continues to inspire so many, it’s bittersweet, because the obesity statistics are not going down.
 
Like the rest of “The Biggest Loser” medical expert team, my role was off camera but vital to the show’s success. Most of the air time was dedicated to the trainers, work outs, challenges, the occasional guest chef appearance (such as Curtis Stone) and, of course, the stories of contestants themselves.
 
What people didn’t see on camera was that I met with every one of the prospective cast members who flew to LA to vie for a coveted spot on the show. Each season, I met with approximately 75 finalists (who were culled from much larger pool of thousands) for a comprehensive nutrition consultation, which was one component of an entire week of medical and psychological testing before the final cast selections were made.
 
Once the cast was identified (anywhere from 12 to 50 people depending on the season), I shared a personally tailored calorie budget with each of them and instructed them on the eating plan for the show, which I co-wrote. I also taught them about shopping, measuring and weighing food, portion sizes, cooking tips and maintaining a daily food journal. From there, I tracked their food intake to ensure they were getting enough calories, protein, calcium, fiber and all of the other nutrients that comprise “The Biggest Loser” eating plan. And, over the course of 12 seasons, I shared my cell phone number with 250+ cast members and availed myself 24/7 if they had any food/shopping/nutrition/cooking questions, or if they just wanted to chat. 
 
I never had any regrets about that. In fact, former contestants still call me to check in and I love hearing from them. Though it was incredibly rewarding to watch their knowledge grow (while their waistlines shrank!), my biggest regret was that I was only able to reach a small fraction of the overweight Americans who really need my help. And those who need me most can’t afford to hire me on their own.
 

Cheryl with "Biggest Loser" Season 9 contestant Stephanie Anderson.

This is ultimately one of the reasons I decided to move on. Although I’m extremely proud of what I accomplished with individual contestants in 12 seasons, I felt that there could be a way to reach and help many more people. I also realized my focus was on only one segment of the weight loss spectrum—from the morbidly obese starting point to the point of maintenance (or almost there). At the end of each season I had to stop there and circle back to start over again with a new season, never having enough time to dedicate myself fully to those who had achieved the lofty goal of reaching their maintenance weight, and helping them to stay there.
 
This year, I look forward with excitement to reaching a larger audience, on-camera and off, in person and remotely and in print, with you, at the Saturday Evening Post. I look forward to sharing my nutrition and culinary expertise with you. Whether you have questions about weight loss, weight maintenance, or healthy (but scrumptious!) eating and recipes—I look forward to answering them all and to sharing my stories with you about the urban farm I’m building in Napa, California.
 
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to knowing you better.

Join us again in two weeks for nutrition advice from Cheryl.

 
Cheryl Forberg RD is a New York Times bestselling author and a James Beard award-winning chef. Cheryl co-wrote the eating plan for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and was the show’s nutritionist for twelve seasons. Her latest book is Flavor First, and she writes a blog of cooking and nutrition tips. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook for more tips and recipes. And continue to read the Saturday Evening Post website for more regular nutrition tips and features from Cheryl.
 
 
 
 

Beyond “The Biggest Loser” The Saturday Evening Post

In the study, six healthy but overweight men ate a dinner of coconut chicken, white rice, cheese bread, and a dessert biscuit. Then, after at least a week, they dined on chicken curry, Italian herb bread, and a cinnamon biscuit. Blood tests before and after the meals found the spicier meal reduced insulin and triglyceride levels—but not glucose. Researchers believe that phenol compounds in the spices accounted for the metabolic benefits.

Sheila West, PhD, of Penn State University, and colleagues reported their findings online in the Journal of Nutrition.

Nutrition News: Spice It Up for Health The Saturday Evening Post

Frozen Strawberry Pie The Saturday Evening Post

Start today!

James suggests taping this list to the refrigerator and adopting one healthy habit a week:

• Begin each day with a good stretch and some deep breaths.
• Plan a week’s worth of meals on your day off.
• Spend 30 minutes twice a week cutting up fresh veggies to have ready for snacks and preparing meals. Next time you want scrambled eggs (or tofu), sauté some veggies first, then add eggs.
• Keep seasonal fruit on hand for when hunger (or a sweet tooth) strikes.
• Vary your food; if you eat it on Monday, don’t have it again until Friday.
• Eat at a table and chew well. Be thankful.
• Make your own vinaigrette with olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, a little Dijon mustard, a minced garlic clove, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle grated cheese on top of casseroles instead of mixing in larger amounts.
• Substitute raw nuts and seeds for processed granola bars.
• Have at least one day a week without meat—Meatless Monday, perhaps.
• Eat more leafy greens. Steam kale, chard, spinach, or radicchio, among others, for a couple minutes. Drain and set aside. Sauté some onions, garlic, and shitake mushrooms in olive oil for a few minutes. Add steamed greens, stir, and serve.
• Communicate well. Kindly speak your mind and be done with it. Don’t hold grudges. Forgive yourself and others.

12 Tips for Better Health The Saturday Evening Post

Joy Bauer, nutrition and diet expert for the TODAY show on NBC, says the food industry is “really starting to feel the pressure to make changes.” In Bauer’s opinion, the biggest menu myth is that it’s impossible to make healthy choices when eating out. “It’s not where you eat, it’s what you eat,” says the nutritionist. The challenge is overcoming the temptation to order high-fat fare. And expanded menu options are there to help, with color-coded dietary selections or a key bank of symbols used to indicate if an item is gluten-free (GF), vegetarian, heart-healthy, low-fat, or low-carb. Many even include a specific section for special diets, such as the Applebee’s “under 550 calories” choices, or Bob Evans’ “Fit from the Farm” menus. Don’t be shy when it comes to customizing your order in the name of health, either. Restaurants such as Cracker Barrel, for example, offer a “Tasty Alternatives” menu, including Egg Beaters, turkey sausage, sugar-free syrup, Promise Spread, and low-sugar fruit spread.

Seniors can also take advantage of the expanded menus at most casual dining restaurants. Denny’s, for instance, has a special 55-plus menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—offering modified portions and special discounts. These conveniences are especially important for diners who may eat out once or twice daily.

While most nutrition experts agree the best way to control your diet is to prepare your own meals, it’s not always a practical option, especially as the summer travel season approaches. If you find yourself feeding your family via drive-thru, take note of Bauer’s healthier suggestions on the menu boards this year:

“Taco Bell started heavily marketing its Fresco line, which features lower-calorie, lower-fat options. Burger King revamped their children’s menu, and KFC launched its grilled chicken line,” says Bauer. But beware: Many chain restaurants still compete for the biggest, most over-the-top burger, warns Bauer. “They’re part of the problem, but by offering healthy, convenient meal options, they can be part of the solution.”

• Order a salad with grilled chicken and low-fat dressing or a basic grilled chicken sandwich (hold the mayo; add mustard, salsa, ketchup, or BBQ sauce instead) with a fruit cup or low-fat yogurt.

• Stick with calorie-free drinks such as water, diet soda, or unsweetened ice tea.

• If you’re bent on ordering a burger or fries, order the smallest size available. (A plain hamburger at Burger King has a modest 260 calories—compared to a BK Steakhouse XT burger, which averages 1,000 calories and more than 60 grams of fat.)

• For pizza, opt for thin crust; veggie toppings are a bonus. (One slice of a large cheese pan-crust pizza from Pizza Hut contains 360 calories; the same slice on thin crust, 260 calories.)

• For subs, order a small turkey sandwich piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, and pickles. (Skipping the cheese at Subway can save 60 calories; hold the mayo to save 110 calories; or choose light mayo, which has 50 calories per tablespoon.)

• And don’t fall for the better “value” items—you may get more food for the money, but you pay the price with your waistline and health.
More healthy selections from some of your favorite restaurants can be found at healthydiningfinder.com.

Joy Bauer is author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller Joy Bauer’s Food Cures (2007) and
 Slim & Scrumptious, released in April 2010. 
For recipes from her new book, visit 
saturdayeveningpost.com/joybauer.

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