Tanya earned her dietetics degree, completed a dietetic internship and served as a clinical dietitian in several Cincinnati hospitals. With more than 20 years of nutrition education experience, she is also a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
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What Do the Dates on Food Packages Mean?
When you go to the grocery store, you probably check several labels and tags. First, you check the shelf price tag and look for any specials. You might also compare the cost per ounce, which is also listed on the shelf tag. Many of us check the nutrition facts label as well.
But what about the dates on the packages you select? Do you check those, too? Why not? Is it because you don’t know what they really mean? If so, you're not alone.
Posted 9/15/2008 1:00:00 PM By: : 51 comments 18,433 views
Celebrity Diet Lowdown: What’s the Deal with Mariah's Food Combining?
Food combining became popular back in the 1980’s, when the book Fit for Life was published. Written by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, the premise of the book was that when foods were not eaten in specific ways, the body had a hard time digesting and absorbing the nutrients.
The book, which my nutrition professors back then wrote off as unfounded and unsound, theorized that since foods made the digestive process work too hard, they contributed to digestive distress and became fat instead of being used by the body. Eating food groups in specific combinations and frequency, the book's authors explained, would cure digestive ailments and assist with weight loss because of a natural sort of cleansing process.
Food combining eventually fell off the radar, replaced by other fad diets. Then a few months back, Mariah Carey unveiled a 20-pound weight loss that returned her to her "high school body." The singer revealed her new workout and diet secrets, which apparently included not eating protein and carbohydrates together (basically food combining).
So, is food combining something worthwhile to help you reach your goals?
Posted 9/8/2008 6:00:00 AM By: : 62 comments 17,849 views
Nutrition 101: What’s the Shake on Sea Salt?
I remember my mother buying something called rock salt when I was young. My brothers and I were always excited to see the large bag because that meant we were going to crank up (and I mean crank!) the homemade ice cream maker for Labor Day or another summer picnic. Rock salt is great for ice cream or decorating foods but because of its larger size, not so great for actual cooking.
Some recipes call for kosher, seasoned, or sea salt. The biggest difference between these different types of salt is usually taste and texture. For instance, kosher salts are known to have a more course grain and to give a cleaner taste to foods. Seasoned salt on the other hand is flavored with herbs and other ingredients and therefore contains less sodium than other types of salt. But sea salt seems to be everywhere lately, from canned soups to hair products. So what's so great about it? Should you be using sea salt instead of "regular" salt?
Posted 9/1/2008 9:51:39 AM By: : 109 comments 21,327 views
You Asked: What's better, Margarine or Butter?
SparkPeople.com member Eboston421 recently asked about margarine versus butter and which is better nutritionally. The discussions of margarine versus butter began in the 1990s, when research related to trans fatty acids in margarines was coming out. Both butter and margarine derive 100 percent of their calories from fat. Although we all need a little fat in our diets (but not more than 30% of our total daily caloric intake), we should all try to choose fats of the healthiest variety whenever possible.
So which is the better choice for you?
Posted 8/27/2008 10:29:28 AM By: : 164 comments 27,969 views
Nutrition 101: Breaking the Fast
I have been a breakfast eater my whole life. I suppose partly because as a child, my wonderful mother got up and made me a warm breakfast to eat each morning before leaving for school. In college the Café Ole’, as we fondly referred to the cafeteria, did the cooking, and by the time I was on my own, the habit was ingrained.
Of course, I tried making a hot meal for my children before sending them off to school. They squawked and much preferred cold cereal or toaster waffles.
In any case, I have always found it funny that people say things like, " I can't eat breakfast" or "it makes me sick to eat breakfast." Why?
Posted 8/25/2008 8:00:00 AM By: : 139 comments 20,407 views
Is Chocolate Milk Ideal after a Workout?
Nutrition and sports professionals study every nutrient combination to look for just the right competitive edge. Post workout recovery was critical for Michael Phelps in his record setting Olympics performance, too. Well, this year's Olympics may just have shared one of those little secrets that the rest of us can use as well.
Posted 8/23/2008 8:30:00 AM By: : 146 comments 37,065 views
Nutrition 101: What are Omega 9's?
In 1992, “Lorenzo’s Oil” was a heart warming hit at the box office starring Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon, who portrayed sympathetic parents who searched for a treatment for their son Lorenzo, who suffered from ALD (adrenoleukodystrophy), a genetic disease that progressively destroys the myelin sheath of the brain in young boys. In 1996, Phil Collins recorded the song “Lorenzo” for his “Dance Into the Light” album using words written by Lorenzo’s mother Michaela out of her love and commitment to her little boy.
Lorenzo’s parents studied medical research and learned that the brain damage caused by the genetic disorder ALD was linked to a build up of dangerous long chained fatty acids in the blood. They learned that oil containing oleic acid (Omega 9's) was able to destroy the fatty acid build up and slow the progression of the disease, and in the late 80’s, Lorenzo’s Oil was discovered.
So what is oleic acid?
Posted 8/18/2008 7:00:00 AM By: : 42 comments 24,379 views
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