5 Ways to Fat-Proof Your House, No Willpower Required

Think you’re immune to temptation? Let’s be honest: Even the most disciplined healthy eater will occasionally give in to runger (running hunger). One minute you’re walking past a box of granola sitting on the kitchen counter; five minutes and 500 calories later, you probably wish you’d hidden that box in a cabinet instead.

Staying a step ahead of yourself by keeping food out of direct sight is just one of the many ideas in Brian Wansink’s new book Slim By Design: Mindless Eating Solutions For Everyday Life. He’s the founder of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, a think tank dedicated to promoting better nutrition by using psychology to outsmart human nature.

“[Willpower] hasn’t worked in the long run for 90 percent of people,” explains Wansink. “It’s a lot easier to change your environment.”

Who knew you could make weight loss more effortless, just by doing a little strategizing? Try these easy tricks to get started.

RELATED: 4 Science-Backed Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Out

1. Put fresh fruit on the counter.
“Make it a rule that it’s the only thing allowed on there,” says Wansink, who’s done research showing that having a fruit bowl on the counter doubles the amount of fruit people consume. But make sure that bowl isn’t hidden behind the toaster, or covered with your kid’s field trip permission slip. The key, he insists, is to place your fruit within two feet of a heavily traveled pathway in the kitchen, so it’s easy to grab a banana — as opposed to a Snickers bar — on the way out the door. “At my house, we have the bowl right by the key rack,” he says.

2. Serve meals strategically.
Here’s how to survive dinner with your diet intact: Serve an appetizer — as long as it’s a salad or grilled veggies. They’ll fill you up, so you’ll eat fewer high-calorie foods throughout the rest of the meal. Serve your appetizer course at the table, but then sit back and ask your family to help themselves to more food in the kitchen. “Don’t put the main dish or starches in the middle of the table because people are too prone to [eat] seconds and thirds,” explains Wansink. His research found the trick decreased the amount of food eaten by 30 percent for men and 10 percent for women.

RELATED: 19 Ways to Add Flavor for 10 Calories or Less 

3. Skillfully stock your fridge.
It’s not enough to make sure you’ve got healthy food in your fridge. How it’s displayed matters, too. Remember Wansink’s principle: “First eaten, first seen.” Keep pre-cut fruits and veggies in clear containers in the middle of the fridge and at eye-level so you consider eating them every time you open the door. Studies show that moving the veggie crisper higher up causes you to eat more of the good stuff, too. Plus, it always helps to have hunger-busting high-protein snacks, such as yogurt, string cheese and sliced turkey, within easy reach.

“Even small changes make a big difference over the long run.”

When it comes to storing the pad thai from last night’s takeout, wrap it in foil or put in it an opaque container so you’re not constantly reminded that it would make a delicious snack. 

4. Buy smaller dishes.
The jug-sized wine glasses you just bought may be fun, but they’re making your five-ounce serving of Merlot look like just a swig. Smaller is better for dishes, too. Wansink invited his colleagues to an ice cream social and found that those with a three-ounce spoon dished out 14 percent more than those with a two-ounce spoon. He also found that people think they’re eating a lot more, if they eat their meals on plates no bigger than 10 inches in diameter, as opposed to 12 inches, which is the standard size in American kitchens.

5. Make single-servings easy to grab.
Even healthy snacks can go awry: We all know it can be tough to eat only a few nuts when you have the whole jar in front of you. Divvy up that super-sized tub of cashews into single-portion packs to avoid accidentally downing a gazillion calories worth of your favorite nut. 

Interestingly, the same tactic can increase your consumption of healthy, low-calorie fruits when snacking. Wansink and his team found that placing cut-up fruit in small bags encouraged elementary school children to triple their fruit consumption, as opposed to when they were offered whole fruit. Because the kids could clearly see the fruit, and the bag was convenient to carry around, healthy snacking increased. 

RELATED: What 200 Calories of Nuts Looks Like

Want more tips? Download Wansink’s scorecard at slimbydesign.org. “Even small changes make a big difference over the long run,” he says. “Try out a few of these, and you’ll notice you’re dropping pounds with a few months, and it’s not that hard.” 

Have you tried any of these tricks, or have a few of your own? Tell us in the comments section.

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6 Surprising Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Pumpkin: It’s yummy and it’s seasonal. And we’re in the middle of a full-on flavor takeover. There’s pumpkin in your bagels, beer and coffee. Starbucks has sold more than 200 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the past 10 years. Even the makers of Pringles are getting in on the action. While most pumpkin-flavored treats should be added to the once-in-a-while list, pumpkin itself (not to be confused with artificial pumpkin spice flavoring) is actually one of the healthier foods of the season. Here are six reasons it’s OK to be totally obsessed with this season’s superfood.

1. Feel Fuller
Pumpkin seeds pack about 1.7 grams of dietary fiber per ounce, while mashed pumpkin has only 50 calories per cup and 3 grams of fiber. “Fiber helps keep you fuller longer, which keeps your appetite at bay so you eat less overall,” says nutrition and fitness expert JJ Virgin, author of The Virgin Diet.

2. Boost Vision
A cup of cubed pumpkin contains almost twice the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which promotes good vision, especially in dim light, according to the National Institutes of Health. It has also been found to slow the decline of retinal function in those with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that can lead to blindness, according to researchers from Harvard. Bonus: Vitamin A also helps form and maintain healthy skin, teeth and bones.

3. Lower Blood Pressure
Pumpkin seed oil is full of phytoestrogens, which research shows are beneficial for preventing hypertension. When researchers fed rats a diet supplement with the oil, they found that it helped lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in just 12 weeks.

4. Sleep Better
Pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan, the amino acid that contributes to post-Thanksgiving dinner sleepiness, says Virgin. Tryptophan is also responsible for helping the body make serotonin, the feel-good neurotransmitter that helps you relax and unwind. Not only do pumpkin seeds promote better sleep, the serotonin will improve your mood, says Virgin.

5. Protect Your Package
Pumpkins — especially the seeds — are rich in beta-carotene and other antioxidants with cancer protective properties, says Virgin. And pumpkin seeds could be especially healthy for men. Researchers in Taiwan found pumpkin seed oil blocked unhealthy prostate growth in male rats. A quarter cup of the seeds also contains about 2.75 mg of zinc (about 17 percent of the recommended daily intake for adults), which contributes to male sexual health. When young men in a Wayne State University study restricted their dietary zinc intake, they had significantly lower levels of testosterone after 20 weeks.

6. Have a Healthier Heart
All that fiber can also help protect your ticker, research shows. One Harvard study of over 40,000 male health professionals found that those who ate a diet high in fiber had a 40 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to those who ate a diet low in fiber. A more recent study by Swedish researchers found that women who ate a diet high in fiber had a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease compared with women who ate a low fiber diet. Men benefitted less, likely because they’re more likely to get their fiber from breads, while women are more likely to get their fiber from healthier sources, like fruits and vegetables, the researchers write.

That means pumpkin-laced desserts won’t quite cut it. For a healthier way to add pumpkin into your diet, adding pumpkin chunks to a roasted vegetable medley, or sprinkling pumpkin seeds on top of your salad. Feeling even more creative? Try pumpkin puree in place of nut butters as a spread, Virgin suggests. And for an energizing morning smoothie, blend a high-quality protein powder (like vanilla DailyBurn Fuel) with coconut milk, chia seeds, pureed pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Happy fall indeed!

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7 Free Tutorials on How to Cook Practically Anything

Love the idea of cooking, but don’t have the slightest clue what to do in the kitchen? You’re not a hopeless case, nor should you feel compelled to shell out the big bucks for a fancy class. We’ve rounded up the best free online cooking tutorials to help you transition from cooking rookie to kitchen connoisseur.

From video tutorials on how to sharpen your knife skills (pun intended), to primers on the best way to prepare fish, you’ll find everything you need to feel more confident whipping up your next homemade meal. Oh, and did we mention they’re all free? Start planning your next dinner party, stat.

1. The Kitchn’s Cooking SchoolBest for: People who barely know how to turn on the oven
When The Kitchn blog launched a 20-course cooking school earlier this year, people scrambled to sign up to receive the once-a-day tutorials. The quick and easy lessons, complete with step-by-step instructions and video aids, encompass everything from how to flavor your food with onions and garlic to the in’s and out’s of making seafood. Each lesson comes with homework, in hopes that you’ll actually put your new talents to use (don’t worry: we won’t tell if you don’t do it all). And after you’ve mastered a skill, you’ll get some recipe recommendations so you can see how each technique plays out during actual meal prep.

2. Food52Best for: So-so cooks looking to step up their game
If you want to know exactly how to recreate a certain recipe, or pull off slightly more complex cooking techniques, add Food52’s “How To” column to your bookmarks tab. Easy-to-follow photo essays detail “How to Break Down a Chicken,” while short and simple videos will enlighten you on how to roast any — literally any — type of winter squash. If your palate isn’t quite so sophisticated, they also have quick tips on making childhood favorites like Dunkaroos at home.

3. PopSugar FoodBest for: People who wish cookbooks had more photos
Sure, cookbooks are great, but they can only squeeze so many instructional images within their bindings. For those of us who need to see every detail, PopSugar Food offers how-to cooking slideshows to help you visualize each step of basic skills like peeling tomatoes or grilling vegetables. The web site also has tons of hacks for stuff that seems easy, but totally isn’t, like how to crack nuts with your bare hands or brew a perfect cup of tea (hint: it’s all about customizing the temperature and cooking times, based on your favorite blend).

4. Serious Eats Knife SkillsBest for: Slicing and dicing like a pro
You may have cut up your own steak since age five, but real knife skills are much more complex than you’d think. In this series, you’ll learn how to slice everything from citrus fruits to cauliflower and nearly every type of meat. Name a fruit, veggie or protein and we guarantee they’ll spell out exactly how to break it down with easy video examples that take just minutes to watch.

5. Domesticate-Me “Domestic Details”Best for: Mastering the art of cleaning your stove
If you’d rather have Martha Stewart personally critique your mac and cheese recipe than read an article about disinfecting your stove, we don’t blame you. But this easy primer on how to clean your oven “as naturally and painlessly as possible” recognizes that this task is key if you want to avoid setting off fire alarms or having a seriously smoky kitchen. Blogger Serena’s writing is so funny we swear you’ll actually enjoy reading about the ins and outs of this necessary evil.

6. Zagat’s Restaurant HacksBest for: People who love a shortcut
If you’ve always suspected real chefs have access to secrets us regular folks just don’t know about, you’re right. But with their “Restaurant Hacks” YouTube series, Zagat seeks to spill some of this industry info. Here, you’ll learn how to cook steak without a thermometer (in case you don’t own one), the best technique for making the ultimate slice of bacon, and even the correct way to shuck an oyster with a screwdriver. Each video is barely longer than a minute and will leave you asking how you ever survived without these work-arounds before.

7. Fit Men CookBest for: A bajillion ways to cook chicken
Chicken: A kitchen staple for beginner chefs and health-conscious protein-lovers. It’s hard to screw up; but it also gets boring, fast. The Fit Men Cook blog is here to help. With timesaving tricks for prepping multiple flavors of poultry in just one dish, and tons of easy-to-follow, video-illustrated tutorials for Chicken Pad Thai and Chicken Quinoa Burgers, you’ll never declare yourself “over” this bird again. One of our favorites: How to avoid #StruggleChicken (you know, when your chicken comes out so dry and rubbery you seriously debate whether you should eat it, or toss it and order takeout).

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7 Ways to Stop Unhealthy Food Cravings

How often are you overcome with the desire to devour a chocolate bar or cheeseburger? Even the most nutrition-conscious people have to learn how to cope with cravings, sometimes for not-so-nutritious foods. You might think that a longing for these unhealthy treats results from emotions, and that could be true — but not necessarily. “Cravings are usually stimulated by emotional cues, but then fueled by physiological ones as we imagine what it would be like to eat the food we want to have,” says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., professor at Cornell University and author of Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life. So to avoid mindless munching, you’ve got to determine the causes of your cravings and be set up with strategies to subdue them. Read on for tips to help you do just that.

It might seem simple, but people often neglect to determine their level of hunger before they start noshing. “Take a three-minute time-out and ask yourself, ‘What do I want? How am I feeling?’” advises Caroline Cederquist, M.D., a Naples, Florida–based physician who specializes in weight management. “Identifying that there may be no actual hunger is the first step in not giving in to every craving.” Keep in mind, though, that you very well could be starving and need to eat a full meal, says Wansink; if that’s the case, try consuming a healthy dish and then reassessing your desire.

“All cravings are important because they give you clues to what you’re feeling but also what’s happening in your body biochemically and metabolically,” says Cederquist. Some are a sign that your body needs more of certain nutrients. For instance, a strong taste for red meat could be a hint that you’re low on iron.

A blood test can measure whether you need to load up on any vitamins or minerals in particular. These sort of cravings that suggest a nutrient deficiency generally only occur in cases of extreme deprivation or pregnancy, though, notes Cederquist.

RELATED: 5 Healthier Ways to Detox (That Aren’t Juice Cleanses)

Your want for certain types of fare could also be a warning sign that you have a health issue worth addressing. If you’re constantly reaching for sweets and starchy foods, for example, it might mean that your body isn’t metabolizing carbohydrates normally, says Cederquist. That means your body isn’t able to move glucose into your cells for energy, so you end up feeling deprived and wanting to eat more carbs.

“This can occur even after someone has eaten a full meal,” she says. “It makes people think their cravings must be emotional, but it’s not necessarily the case.”

If you feel that might be the culprit behind your cravings, see a medical professional.

Once a craving comes on, says Wansink, “We tend to keep imagining what it would be like to eat the food we have in mind — the texture, crunch, smoothness, richness, and so forth. Doing that makes the craving more extreme.” Therefore, distracting yourself from the thought can be enough to make you forget about it. He advises chewing sugar-free gum, as simply having something in your mouth will eliminate your ability to imagine having food instead.

RELATED: Does Intermittent Fasting Really Work?

Before you start nibbling on whatever your mind wants, take a few minutes to drink a glass of water or walk around the block. These two steps help, says Cederquist, because they separate you from the craving. “That separation gives you the time and space to reflect upon the healthy diet you’re trying to maintain and how eating this food might take you off-course from that plan,” she says.

Another option is to sip something warm, like a cup of herbal tea. Drinking a hot beverage takes time, is filling, and stimulates the vagus nerve — which helps manage digestion and can decrease cravings, especially for sugary foods, says Cederquist.

If you’ve assessed your hunger, waited and can’t kick the craving, it’s time to give in — but in small doses. “Try eating only one-fourth of the portion size you really want, then put the rest away and distract yourself for 15 minutes,” suggests Wansink. “See how you feel after that time has passed. Chances are, you’ll be equally satisfied as if you had eaten the whole thing.”

RELATED: 7 Weight Loss Tips When the Scale Won’t Budge

One of the questions you should ask yourself when you first detect a craving is what you already ate today that could be triggering it. For example, eating candy or desserts can spur the craving for more sweetness, especially when eaten on an empty stomach, says Cederquist. To sidestep that kind of reaction in the future, she recommends including protein and fiber in every meal and snack; doing so can limit subsequent cravings by decreasing the blood sugar response.

If you follow these tips and still feel compelled to devour certain foods, Cederquist recommends consulting your doctor; he or she can test your levels of glucose, insulin, glycohemoglobin, triglycerides, and HDL — which can all be helpful to identify conditions such as metabolic dysfunction. Making a diagnosis like that can be your first step in figuring out a meal plan that can negate those nagging cravings and keep your weight in check.

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Are You Getting Enough Fiber?

Fiber may not be the sexiest nutrient around, but it is one of the most important. Staying regular is far from the only health benefit of this type of carbohydrate, says Tanya Zuckerbrot, M.S., R.D., author of The F-Factor Diet. “Fiber does help prevent constipation, but it also helps protect against heart disease, diabetes and various cancers,” she says. “So adding foods rich in it to your diet is one of the best things you can do to increase your chances for a long, healthy life.” Read on to learn if your diet is lacking and the best way to increase your intake of this dietary powerhouse.

“Many people rely too much on processed foods — and those have been stripped of fiber.”

So how exactly does this nutrient benefit your body?  Fiber can decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering cholesterol, says Zuckerbrot. “Fiber absorbs cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract and removes it from the body before it can reach the bloodstream and clog arteries,” she explains. Consume enough of it and your chance of developing diabetes also drops by 30 percent — because it helps you maintain a healthy weight by stabilizing blood sugar levels, says Zuckerbrot. Fiber can also slash your risk of breast cancer and getting more than 30 grams a day has been shown to lower your risk of colon cancer by 40 percent.

The nutrient promotes clear skin, good sleep and a flat belly (by nixing bloating) and can pump up your energy levels as well, says Zuckerbrot.

RELATED: 20 Healthy Snacks Under 200 Calories

Even if you think your diet is nutritious, you likely aren’t consuming enough fiber. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) recommends a daily intake of at least 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Yet the average American takes in a measly nine to 11 grams per day.

“One of the reasons is that many people rely too much on processed foods — and those have been stripped of fiber,” says Zuckerbrot. Get an inadequate amount and you could suffer from constipation, bloating, nausea or constant hunger. Weight gain or dramatic swings up or down in energy after you eat can be signs you need to up your intake too, says California-based nutritionist Michele McRae, M.S., C.N.

The recommended AND guidelines don’t vary depending on your activity level — but if you work out a lot, make sure you’re downing eight to 12 glasses of water daily. If you don’t replenish the liquid you lose through sweat, the fiber you ingest might not have access to enough water to soften it and help it move through the GI tract, warns Zuckerbrot.

RELATED: 10 Ways to Stay Hydrated (That Aren’t Water)

“To get the most bang for your buck, you need to eat a wide variety of fiber-rich foods,” says McRae. She advises consuming both soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble variety turns into a gel-like substance in your stomach, where it slows digestion (to increase nutrient absorption), removes toxins, and helps you feel full. You can find it in oats, oat bran, peas, beans, apples, carrots and citrus fruit such as oranges. Insoluble fiber soaks up water (to make you feel fuller) and helps the body eliminate waste quickly and efficiently. It’s found in whole-wheat bread and pasta, wheat bran cereals, nuts and cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and kale.

Getting your fiber from food is always ideal, says McRae, “but a supplement can help you fill any dietary gaps.” She notes that they’re especially helpful for anyone on a calorie-restricted diet, for pregnant women and for anyone experiencing symptoms of low fiber intake. One McRae recommends trying: Rainbow Light’s Fiber Garden Gummies, which provide four grams of fiber per serving.

It might seem like a cure-all, but be careful not to go overboard on fiber, warns McRae. “It is possible to take in too much and an excessive amount can decrease the absorption of certain nutrients, including iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium and beta carotene.” If you want to start elevating your intake, ramp it up gradually, suggests Zuckerbrot, as increasing the amount you consume too quickly can cause cramping, bloating and diarrhea. “The good news is that within a few days, your body will become accustomed to the increased intake and the symptoms will stop,” she says. And within weeks, you can begin reaping the healthy benefits.

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Could Microwave Meals Actually Be Good for You?

It’s been a long day at the office and the last thing you want to do is cook; we feel you. But before you order takeout, give yourself a minute to consider another option — a microwavable meal.

Long derided for being full of artificial preservatives and sodium, frozen meals have undergone a healthy renaissance in recent years. “Frozen meals have changed into integrating more whole grains and more superfoods, like kale, beans and lentils,” says Bethany Doerfler, RD, LDN, and a clinical research dietician at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.

In fact, frozen dishes may be better for you than food you pick up, or even meals you cook at home. They often boast several hundred fewer calories than people normally consume during a standard meal due to their smaller portion sizes, according to Doerfler. But before you go grabbing just any boxed meal, get the scoop on how to pick the healthiest options in the freezer section, and which health-conscious brands you might want to try. 

“Ideally, food starch should be the last ingredient, or one of the last ingredients used.”

Your first order of business in the freezer aisle: Take a close look at the nutrition facts label before tossing anything into your cart. You’ll want to be especially careful to check the sodium levels and grams of saturated fat in your meal choice, to avoid accidentally introducing a bloat-inducing health don’t into your diet.  

“Get something under 600 to 700 milligrams of sodium,” Doerfler says. And when it comes to saturated fats, shoppers should look for a meal that contains no more than a few grams, if any at all.

Your next task is to find a meal containing the least amount of artificial ingredients.

One tip: Ingredients on nutrition labels are listed in order from greatest representation to least. Therefore, the first couple you see should be whole grains, vegetables or lean proteins, according to Doerfler. What you don’t want to find? Food starches. They’re often used to replace fat and provide texture in frozen dishes.  “Ideally, food starch should be the last ingredient, or one of the last ingredients used,” Doerfler says. “It’s not a dangerous food additive, but it’s [mostly empty calories]”

Finally, frozen meals are meant to last a long time —  a bonus when you find yourself coming home late after most stores have closed. But, some will contain compounds such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), which is used to prevent oils in foods from going bad over time. While the FDA has declared BHT safe for consumption, people should try to minimize consumption of preservatives like this one, when they can. “The less we can get away with things like BHT, artificial sweeteners or food starches, the better,” Doerfler says. “If you can, stick with simple, clean, whole food groups.”

RELATED: The Beginner’s Guide to Clean Eating

Tying to shed a few pounds? Frozen meals could be a great secret weapon to add to your arsenal.

A well-known study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed 100 obese patients throughout a dietary intervention — half relied on conventional foods when dieting and the other half on portion-controlled meal replacements (primarily shakes, bars and soups). Over a two year period, the group using meal replacements lost more weight than the traditional diet group, and was better able to maintain that weight loss. “Hands down the biggest, most likely explanation [for these findings] is that the meals are portion and calorie controlled,” Doerfler says, which is why she recommends pre-packaged frozen foods to dieters as well.

Seek out meals that contain between 250 and 400 calories. For most people trying to lose weight, Doerfler advises consuming around 400 calories for lunch and approximately 500 calories for dinner. That means you can — and should — supplement lower-calorie frozen meals with fresh fruits and veggies, or healthy carbs like a baked potato, to ensure you’re consuming enough calories and nutrients to stay full until your next meal.

“None of our lunch or dinner options have more than four grams of sugar, which is a teaspoon.”

While old favorites like Healthy Choice are continuing to up the ante with their offerings, new brands such as Luvo are making waves with their innovative and delicious frozen meals that include entrees like Chicken Chile Verde or Kale Ricotta Ravioli.

Focused on healthy, natural ingredients, Luvo boasts a menu full of, “BHT-free meals, proteins raised without antibiotics, dairy raised without hormones, cage-free eggs, and non-GMO ingredients for the top six high-risk crops, including corn, soy and canola,” according to Samatha Cassetty, RD, Luvo’s director of nutrition.

Each Luvo meal is cooked en papillote — it’s prepackaged in a paper bag, not a plastic container — ensuring that chicken doesn’t get rubbery and noodles remain al dente when microwaved. “None of our meals have more than 500 milligrams of sodium, and, barring one exception, none of our lunch or dinner options have more than four grams of added sugar, which is a teaspoon,” Cassetty says. To put this in context, the American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than six teaspoons of sugar per day for women, and nine teaspoons per day for men.

Healthy Choice is also making strides in satisfying customer demand for better-for-you foods. They recently unveiled a line of gluten-free meals adhering to the FDA’s new rules for g-free products. The name Healthy Choice requires the company to adhere to certain standards, as “healthy” is an FDA regulated term. “Each of the foods has to be low in fat, low in saturated fat, controlled in sodium, controlled in cholesterol and have at least three positive vitamins and minerals,” says Kristin Reimers, PhD, RD and director of nutrition at ConAgra, Healthy Choice’s parent company. 

Doerfler also recommends Artisan Bistro meals, noting that they often contain well under 500 mg of sodium per serving. And she applauds Amy’s Light & Lean line of foods for being low in fat and calories, as well as for providing ample choices for vegetarians and people with food allergies. Their meal options range from Roasted Polenta to Quinoa & Black Beans with Butternut Squash & Chard.

Chosen carefully, frozen meals “are absolutely a part of a healthy diet,” according to Doerfler. So next time you’re too wiped out to cook, hit up the freezer aisle rather than your local fast food joint.

Do you enjoy microwave meals? Tell us your favorite brands in the comments section. 

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Hate Breakfast? Why Research Says That’s Actually OK

The first meal of the day can have a very different meaning for different people. For some, it’s grabbing a granola bar to nibble on during the morning commute; for others, it includes a big omelet with a cup of coffee at home; and then there are the millions who forego grub in the a.m. altogether.

But how do these morning behaviors really affect weight loss, energy levels and appetite throughout the day? In order to help you crack the breakfast code, we tracked down the latest research, in addition to insights from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., a nutrition instructor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Before you do — or don’t — dig in, here’s a reality check on the biggest breakfast myths.

RELATED: 10 Unexpected Omelet Recipes for Any Time of Day

Reality: Munching in the morning doesn’t have a direct effect on dropping pounds.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when people are trying to lose weight, it doesn’t matter if they devour a dish first thing after waking up or if they skip it altogether. The researchers assigned more than 300 overweight and obese (but otherwise healthy) individuals, ages 20 to 65, to either the control group (that continued with eating habits per usual), a group that was told to eat breakfast or a group that was instructed to miss the meal. After tracking their weight for 16 weeks, the scientists found that those who grabbed a bite in the morning didn’t lose any more weight than those who omitted a.m. snacks.

But take this finding with a grain of salt (maybe over some oatmeal). “Though our study suggests breakfast may not be key to weight loss, we only examined a general recommendation of eating versus skipping,” says Emily Dhurandhar, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Department of Health Behavior at the University of Alabama Birmingham and a lead author of the study. “Specific foods and timing may help,” so if weight loss is the goal, consult with a nutritionist or doctor to determine your best course of action.

Reality: Sure, you should lay off the sweet stuff, but not necessarily the cereal itself.

Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Fruity Pebbles may taste delicious, but they aren’t packing a nutrient punch. That’s not to say that other cereals on the market can’t be a part of a healthy, balanced diet. In fact, an Advances in Nutrition study found that whole-grain cereal can lower cholesterol (the soluble fiber prevents re-absorption of the substance in the gut). These slow-digesting carbs can also improve bowel function (the fiber content softens stool and promotes good-for-you bacteria in the digestive system), and help maintain a healthy weight.

The best choices when searching the shelves? Oat and barley mixes work best for those keeping an eye on cholesterol levels, and wheat bran is ideal for those with gut problems, says Peter Williams, Ph.D., honorary professorial fellow at the University of Wollongong in Australia and one of the study’s researchers. Williams suggests portion sizes of about one-third to one-half cup of a heavy cereal, like muesli, or one cup of a light cereal, such as puffed grains.

Reality: Food will increase your energy; just consider your activity of choice.

As for whether a morning meal will help you power through a workout, the answer is most likely. Research from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom found that those who ate breakfast had higher energy expenditure in daily physical activity over a six-week period, compared to those who fasted until noon. The study authors suspect that this effect can occur on any given day breakfast is eaten (discounting a long-term effect), because the improvement in energy levels was apparent from week one, says James Betts, Ph.D., research scientist and senior lecturer in the Department of Health at the University of Bath and lead author on the study.

Betts and his team also found high glucose levels in the breakfast-eating group, which signals to the brain and central nervous system that there’s energy available and motivates you to move. “You may realize the quality of your physical performance that day is not critical, say if you’re performing simple housework, so you opt for skipping breakfast to take advantage of the negative energy balance,” explains Betts. “Or you may decide that you need breakfast to support your energy needs and perform to the best of your ability.” Either way, breakfast can help support an active lifestyle.

Reality: It’s not guaranteed to reduce calorie intake in the afternoon, but eating in the morning does release chemicals to the brain and can also steady glucose levels throughout the day.

A new study just released from the University of Missouri found that having breakfast, particularly dishes high in protein, increased young adults’ levels of dopamine (a brain chemical responsible for moderating impulses and reward), which may reduce food cravings and overeating later in the day. Eating initiates a release of this neurohormone, which then triggers feelings of reward, explains Heather Leidy, an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri and author of the study. That reward response, Leidy adds, is what helps people regulate how much they chow down.

If someone has eaten three meals in a given day and they’re still munching in the evening, that usually due to reasons other than hunger, like convenience, boredom, stress, or a reward, says Zeratsky. But that doesn’t necessarily mean eating breakfast will stave off late-night cravings. The above-mentioned University of Bath study found that having breakfast didn’t suppress caloric intake later in the day but that it did, however, regulate glucose levels in the afternoon and evening. The benefits: “More variable glucose levels can indicate a poorer diet or a more unsteady metabolism,” says Betts. “And chronic inflammation from the body’s excess exposure to glucose can lead to issues like diabetes or cardiovascular disease.” So while breakfast might not help you cut back on calories, it may cut disease risk.

RELATED: 7 Ways to Stop Unhealthy Food Cravings

Reality: It’s less about one meal than it is about what you over the course of the day.

According to the above recent research, weight loss isn’t necessarily tied to breakfast habits. It comes down to calories instead. “It’s the total number [of calories] that matters, whether you divide that into two meals or six,” says Zeratsky. But again, that doesn’t give you a free pass to skip breakfast every day. Having some foods to start out the day can promote a nutrient-rich diet overall, Zeratsky says.

Her go-to power meals: “energy foods,” including fruits and whole grains and “hunger-controlling” foods, like milk, yogurt, or eggs. If you are working out in the early a.m., opt for something smaller (particularly if you have a sensitive stomach), such as a banana or whole-grain bread with peanut butter or honey. If you do choose to eat early in the day, be sure it’s something healthy that will do your body good.

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How Bad Is Your Food From 1 to 10? Try This Food Calculator

By now, most health-conscious folks know that it’s a good idea to take a peek at their groceries’ nutrition facts before hitting the checkout line. But how much does that little label really reveal?

“Many consumers focus on the food label as a way to gauge food quality. While this gives you one metric regarding nutrients, it doesn’t tell you much about the wholesomeness of your food,” says Bethany Doerfler, RD, LDN, and a clinical research dietician at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.

Enter the new Food Scores tool, released this week by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The easy-to-use food calculator gives shoppers insight into how healthy grub is, based on scores derived from nutrition content, processing and artificial ingredients. The database of over 80,000 foods, which took three years to develop, ranks each item on a scale of 1 (good) to 10 (bad).

RELATED: 12 Fast Food Drinks That Aren’t Worth the Calories

Spend five minutes with this tool and we’re sure you’ll discover some disturbing facts about items that may be lurking in your pantry. Only 18 percent of the products in the database received a score of 1 to 3.5, placing them in the “green” zone, indicating that they are healthy choices. Meanwhile, 25 percent of foods land in the “red” zone, receiving marks of 8 to 10. Here, we break down a few of the most interesting findings revealed by Food Scores.

These snacks pack a nasty punch when it comes to added sugar — the EWG found that 92 percent of granola and trail mix bars contained the sweet stuff. “In some cases sugar made up to a third of the weight of the granola bar. Think about it, it’s mind-boggling,” says Nneka Leiba, EWG’s Deputy Director of Research. In fact, some Quaker Chewy Dipps Granola Bars contain up to 45 percent sugar by weight. 

The good news: There are healthy granola bar options out there; you just have to look for them. “You can’t just assume that because it’s a granola bar, it will be a safe option,” Leiba says. “But the good thing about database is that for every single category, regardless of how good or bad, we’re always able to suggest healthier options.”

RELATED: 9 Healthy Homemade Protein Bar Recipes

A better choice: Larabar’s Banana Bread bar, which earns a 2.8, is high in protein and contains no artificial or industrial ingredients.

When it comes to cold cereals, the findings are just as grim. Thirty-two percent of cereals in the database contain ingredients of “high concern,” due to the presence of preservatives, additives or contaminants.  Products like Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes contain 51 percent more sugar than the average cold cereal. 

As Turkey Day approaches, you might want to plan on making homemade stuffing, and nixing boxed-up store mixes altogether. Thirty-nine percent of packaged stuffing contains ingredients of high concern, such as pesticides, food additives, antibiotics or contaminants linked to health problems. And, the EWG’s research reveals that a whopping 100 percent of stuffing mixes contain added sugars.

“That was definitely a surprise,” Leiba says. “If you think you’re trying to avoid sugar, you avoid the cookies and candy aisle, not stuffing… But in our society sugars have become ubiquitous.” With their new tool, the EWG hopes it will be easier for consumers to spot items containing hidden sweeteners — and weed them out of their diet. 

There’s no sugar-coating this one: Up to 98 percent of deli meats contain added sugars, according to the EWG. What’s more, 52 percent of meat products also contain highly worrisome ingredients, including nitrites, a suspected carcinogen. “Nitrites are found in processed meats as a preservative,” Leiba says. “A lot of people aren’t aware there are additives in food linked to cancer — why would there be? That’s a question we want to know and we are asking.”

While Applegate’s Organic Smoked Turkey breast ranks at a respectable 3.5 due to its organic label and antibiotic-free production, Buddig’s Honey Roasted Turkey clocks in at a 9. The less-savory choice contains four ingredients of concern: sodium nitrite, sodium phosphates, natural flavors and carrageenan.  

Step away from the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats. Despite having only 90 calories per bar, these beloved marshmallow bites are deceptively bad for you. Each serving contains the equivalent of two whole teaspoons of added sugar, making the squares 36 percent added sugar by weight. Also found in these snacks: butylated hydroxytoluene, an ingredient that’s been linked to lung cancer, thyroid problems and liver tumors in animal studies, according to the EWG. 

RELATED: 11 No-Bake Energy Bites Recipes

Another surprise: Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Squares with assorted fillings clock in at a 10 on the Food Scores scale. Though the packaging is fancy, and the chocolate is dark, these rich bites contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils — a source of trans fats. With 37 percent of your daily saturated fat and five teaspoons of added and natural sugars in each three-square serving, we’re going to say this sweet treat might not be worth it. Compare it to Scharffen Berger Dark Chocolate, which was ranked at a 4. 

Even more shockingly, it turns out not even frozen yogurt is a safe bet when it comes to sweets. Ben & Jerry’s Raspberry Fudge Chunk Greek Frozen Yogurt gets a 9. It has six teaspoons of added and natural sugars per serving, and high levels of saturated fats. A better bet: Stonyfield Oikos Organic Nonfat Greek Frozen Yogurt in chocolate earns a slightly more respectable 4.5.

Don’t worry, the database will never encourage you to give up your favorite snacks entirely. “If you’re looking for corn chips and the EWG says, ‘No, have an apple,’ [we know the] consumer will laugh,” Leiba says. “So on every product page we have a graph to show how the product you’re looking at compares to other products within the same category.”

That said, nutrition experts advise that eating clean is the best way to stay healthy, in the long run.

“While this tool is a great guide to eating well, consumers can eat intuitively by simply sticking to real foods. Try to avoid as many packaged and processed foods as possible,” Doerfler says. “There should be no confusion that an apple rivals corn puffs….even if [those corn puffs] are organic and minimally processed.”

What did the Food Scores tool reveal about your favorite goodies? Tell us in the comments section. 

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New Study Says an Apple a Day Might Keep You Slim

If the old adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” wasn’t enough to get you pumped about the crunchy fall fruit, apples are now getting props for helping people fight fat as well. New research published this week in the journal Food Chemistry reveals that a compound in apples could actually help prevent obesity-related inflammation, too.

“Apples in general are a package of bioactive compounds including polyphenolics and fiber, which have been shown in several studies to exert health benefits [and] prevent or delay the progress of diseases related to obesity,” says study author Giuliana Noratto, an assistant professor of food science at Washington State University.

RELATED: Mini Peanut Butter and Apple Sandwich Recipe

These compounds make it easy to argue that apples are a bona fide superfood: Polyphenols are an antioxidant often found in plants, and a polyphenol-rich diet has been shown to help protect against cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Additionally, fiber, a non-digestible carbohydrate, helps people stay full and keeps blood sugar under control, while also aiding digestion. 

If you’ve spent any time in a grocery store, you know apples come in a variety of shapes, size, colors and flavors. The researchers set out to compare and contrast the beneficial compounds in several beloved cultivars including Braeburn, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, McIntosh and Red Delicious. They found that one apple seemed to rise above the rest: the tart, green Granny Smith.

“We identified Granny Smith for its enhanced content of polyphenolics and fiber, [and] low content of available carbohydrates, which makes it a novel apple to combat obesity,” Noratto says.

Once identified, the scientists ran tests to discover if the compounds in Granny Smith apples could potentially help change the proportions of fecal bacteria in obese mice. According to Noratto, obese people often suffer from an imbalance of bacteria in the colon, leading to low-grade, chronic systemic inflammation and metabolic disorders.

“It has been demonstrated that [inflammation] is the cause of metabolic disorders that lead to increased fat synthesis and [fat] storage in the adipose tissue, liver and muscle,” Noratto says.

The researchers believe that by restoring a balance of bacteria in the gut, the inflammation at the root of these metabolic disorders can be resolved. Supporting this theory, the team found that compounds in Granny Smith apples actually changed the balance of fecal bacteria in obese mice to be more similar to the proportions found in lean mice.

In other words, adding Granny Smiths to your grocery list might not be a bad idea.

One tip: While baked apples are tasty, raw apples may be most beneficial to your health. “The cooking process degrades polyphenolics,” Noratto says. 

Have we got you craving the crunch of an apple? Check out these 10 Amazing Apple Recipes for Fall. 

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Intermittent Fasting: Should You Exercise on Empty?

Food is fuel. So what would happen to your exercise regimen if you weren’t eating your standard three meals (plus snacks) per day? 

Intermittent fasting, which can involve anything from fasting for 14 hours at a time to forgoing food a couple days a week, is all about restricting food consumption during specified periods of time. You consume little to no calories during “fasting” periods, and eat pretty normally during “feasting” times. The end result is impressive weight loss, according to many devotees of this trendy diet. Some intermittent fasting methods even claim that this on-and-off eating plan can help regulate blood sugar, prevent diabetes, lower the risk of heart disease and slow the aging process.

RELATED: 5 Intermittent Fasting Plans: Which One Is Best for You?

Here’s the catch: The timing of when you do (or don’t) eat can have a major impact on your workout. Is it risky to exercise on an empty stomach? Read on to find out. 

While you may shed more fat when exercising on an IF diet, you may lose more muscle, too.

Whether you’re pounding the pavement or cranking out squats, your body primarily uses glycogen, or stored carbohydrates, to fuel exercise. The exception occurs when your glycogen reserves are depleted — which could happen if you haven’t eaten in a while, says Kelly Pritchett, Ph.D., R.D., a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and an assistant professor in nutrition and exercise science at Central Washington University. When that’s the case, your body is forced to find (and burn) other energy sources, such as fat. That’s why, in one British Journal of Nutrition, men who ran before eating breakfast burned up to 20 percent more fat than those who fueled up before their run.

Before you get too excited, consider this: “When glycogen is in short supply, your body also reverts to breaking down protein — your muscles’ building blocks — for fuel,” Pritchett says. So, while you may shed more fat when exercising on an intermittent fasting (or IF) diet, you may lose more muscle, too. If you’re heading out on a long run, but haven’t eaten any carbs, your body might start burning protein within a couple of hours. 

RELATED: Does Fasted Cardio Really Burn More Fat?

That won’t just thwart how much weight you can bench press or how toned your butt looks — it will also slow your metabolism, which can make losing weight more difficult in the long run. In an effort to prevent starvation, your body adapts to the number calories you give it. So if you’re frequently making drastic cuts to your calorie intake, your body will eventually adjust — burning fewer calories per day to ensure you have enough energy left to stay upright, breathing and healthy, Pritchett says.

In one small study from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, after a group of men and women fasted every other day for 22 days, their resting metabolic rates (how many calories they burned each day by simply living), had dropped by five percent, or 83 calories. Not exactly ideal for any exercise plan that’s supposed to end in weight loss.

RELATED: Does Intermittent Fasting Really Work?

Plus, if you’ve ever tried to power through a tough workout with a growling stomach, you know that working out on empty is just plain hard. If your glycogen or blood sugar levels are low, you will feel weak. And if you don’t have enough energy to really go after it during workouts, your fat-burning and muscle-building results will suffer, says Jim White, R.D., owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios in Virginia.

Intermittent fasting enthusiasts don’t need to throw in the towel on tough workouts just yet, though. Maintaining a consistent exercise routine is important for your health — both physical and mental. So if you’re following an IF plan, here are the best ways to structure your workouts so you can still get great results: 

1. Keep cardio low-intensity if you’ve been fasting.
A good gauge of intensity is your breathing: You should be able to carry on a conversation relatively easily if you’re exercising mid-fast. “If you are going out for a light jog or stint on the elliptical, you probably aren’t going to have an issue,” says White. But it’s important to listen to your body, and stop exercising, if you feel light-headed or dizzy. If you push your exercise intensity or duration too high, your workout will become a struggle.

2. Go high-intensity only after you’ve eaten.
Intermittent fasting programs like LeanGains have strict rules about scheduling meals around workouts to maximize fat loss while still staying fueled. In general, the closer you schedule any moderate to intense sessions to your last meal, the better. That way you’ll still have some glycogen (aka leftover carbs) available to fuel your workout, and you’ll reduce your risk of low blood sugar levels, he says. Try to follow high-intensity workouts with a carb-rich snack, since your glycogen-tapped muscles will be hungry for more.

3. “Feast” on high-protein meals.
If you’re looking to build serious muscle, you’ll need to eat — both before and after lifting. While a pre-workout snack can help you fuel, regular protein consumption is vital to muscle synthesis both throughout the day and right after your strength workout, when your muscles are craving amino acids to repair themselves and grow, Pritchett says. To maximize muscle growth, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends consuming 20 to 30 grams of high-quality protein every four hours while you are awake, including after training. On an IF plan, timing is key: Schedule your strength training workouts so that they’re sandwiched between two meals, or at least two snacks. And make sure to use your “feast” meals to meet your protein needs. 

4. Remember: Snacks are your friend.
Some IF plans allow dieters to eat both snacks and meals during their feast periods — so take advantage of that flexibility. A meal or snack consumed three to four hours before your workout (or one to two hours before, if you’re prone to low blood sugar) will help ensure you have the energy to power through those reps. Aim for a meal that combines fast-acting carbohydrates with a blood sugar-stabilizing protein (like toast topped with peanut butter and banana slices). Within two hours of your last rep, chow down on a post-workout snack containing about 20 grams of protein and 20 grams of carbohydrates to promote muscle growth and help replete your glycogen stores so you stay energized, White says.

RELATED: 13 Quick and Easy Protein Shake Recipes

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Is a Vegan Diet the Best Way to Lose Weight?

Attention, meat and cheese lovers. The best way for you to shed unwanted pounds might be to give up your favorite omnivorous treats in favor of a vegan diet (at least for a little while), according to a new study from the University of South Carolina. The good news: You can keep your carbs.

Research published this week in the journal Nutrition followed a group of 50 overweight or obese adults looking to lose weight over a six-month period. Their plan of attack in the battle of the bulge included sticking to one of these five eating regimens:

Vegan: No poultry, meat, seafood, eggs and dairy, but these participants could still fill up on plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.Vegetarian: Dairy and eggs were allowed, but meat, poultry and seafood were strictly banned on this plan. Pesco-vegetarian: Fish, dairy and eggs were a yes; meat or poultry, a no.Semi-vegetarian: These dieters could still eat red meat, as long as they limited it to once a week. Poultry consumption was restricted to five times per week or less.Omnivorous: All food groups were a go.

At the end of the six-month study period, the people placed on a vegan diet lost significantly more weight than the dieters on other plans — by about 4.3 percent or 16.5 pounds on average. And the study’s authors think the vegan dieters were more successful for a few simple reasons. 

“One, they were consuming more fiber-containing foods, which helped them feel fuller, preventing them from being hungry and overeating,” says study author Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy, Ph.D, RD. “Secondly, their diets were lower in fat, and therefore, most likely had fewer calories.”

RELATED: 12 Vegan Cookie Recipes for the Holidays

What may surprise many folks (especially Atkins aficionados) is that the vegan dieters still shed pounds, even though they were allowed to eat carbs. Why? Participants were told to focus on consuming low glycemic index (GI) carbs, such as whole grains, fruits and beans, rather than high GI carbs, like white rice or pastries.

When you consume high GI carbs, your blood sugar spikes and then crashes, leading you to become hungry again very quickly, according to Turner-McGrievy. But with low-GI carbs, blood sugar stays more stable over a longer period of time. “Soda and whole-wheat pasta are both high in carbs but the pasta is low GI, high in fiber, and will keep you fuller longer,” she says.

RELATED: 12 Fast Food Drinks That Aren’t Worth the Calories

The vegan diet didn’t just melt away pounds either; it also helped improve other markers of health. People on a completely plant-based plan experienced the greatest decreases in fat and saturated fat levels both two months and six months into the study, and had lower BMIs and improved macro-nutrient levels by the end of the research period.

While giving up meat and dairy might seem difficult, it may be worth it if you’re looking for a weight loss plan that actually works, according to this study. Just stick to the right foods, and a slimmer physique will follow. 

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Orange: The Official Nutrition Color of Autumn

If we could choose one color to represent the autumn season, it would be orange. From the crunchy leaves beneath our feet to the healthy, sweet taste of orange vegetables like pumpkin, yams, butternut squash and sweet potatoes, orange is the color of the harvest–and it boasts big health benefits.

What’s So Healthy About Orange-Hued Food?

The orange color in vegetables comes from a very powerful carotenoid antioxidant compound called beta-carotene. It’s been celebrated for its ability to boost the immune system by fighting free radicals, thus protecting our cells from damage. It helps improve eyesight, keeps our reproductive system healthy and has been shown to have cancer-fighting properties. No wonder orange vegetables are so common in the diets of Chinese centenarians! And as a bonus, even though orange vegetables are sweet and satisfying, they’re often very low in calories.

Sweet Potatoes Balance the Glycemic Index

Sweet potatoes, along with many other orange foods, help balance the glycemic index in the body, which controls how the body responds to the food you eat. When someone has an insulin resistance condition, their body responds to everything they eat by creating more insulin than needed, increasing risk for type-2 diabetes, rapid aging, cancer and other diseases. Eating sweet potatoes can help slow this process down.

So instead of white mashed potatoes, think mashed sweet potatoes! And instead of regular potato chips, try crunchy baked sweet potato chips.

Pumpkins Pump Up Your Antioxidants

Think beyond the jack-o’-lantern and traditional pumpkin pie! Scrumptious when prepared as a soup, as a side dish with your favorite meal, or baked in a sweet treat, pumpkins are packed with disease-fighting nutrients. They are rich in potassium and a good source of iron, zinc and fiber. The bright-orange flesh is loaded with beta-carotene, which keeps your immune system strong, benefits vision, helps prevent heart disease, and may defend against cancer. The pumpkin is also the perfect fit for losing weight due to its incredibly low-calorie and high-fiber content. The sweetest taste can be found in the small-sized pumpkin varieties known as sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin. Try roasting pumpkin and then topping with crunchy pumpkin seeds–a simple strategy to create a fantastic side dish.

Butternut Squash Boosts Beta-Carotene

A close cousin to the pumpkin, butternut squash has a sweet flavor and is rich in vitamins A, B and C. While all winter squashes contain beta-carotene, butternut squash has an extra-high content, rivaling that of mangoes and cantaloupe. Beta-carotene has very powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and is said to help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in the vessels; in other words, no plaque develops that can cause restricted blood flow and lead to heart disease. Butternut squash is perfect for cutting in half and baking, flesh-side down in the oven for a tasty side dish.

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You Wanted to Know: High-Protein Diets

With so many diets out there, I understand why it can be hard to figure out where to start when you want to lose weight. It can be especially challenging to figure out what the pros and cons of each plan are which then makes it hard for you to compare diets to each other.


We’ve talked a lot about protein on the show, but wanted to summarize what we know about high-protein diets to help Michelle. High-protein diets are essentially low-carbohydrate diets. Ideally what you’re doing is lowering the calories from carbohydrates in your diet while upping the calories from proteins and healthy fats. Normally carbs make up 45-65% of the typical meal, so anything below 45% is high protein.

Low-carb diets have been around for a while but became especially popular with the Atkins diet. So how do these diets work? There are a few answers. Theoretically if you cut almost all carbs out of your diet, your body becomes less able to use sugars and instead has to burn fat. The problem is, it’s hard to eliminate carbs in this way and you’re essentially sending your body into a kind of starvation, which isn’t the healthiest long-term strategy for most.

The key reason most people lose weight on low-carb diets is that it’s just not possible to make up the calories you lose in energy-dense carbs with less energy-rich protein. As a result, most people end up dropping their daily calorie count compared to before they started the diet. Lowering the calories in your diet helps shrink your waistline. The great news is that protein tends to keep you feeling full for longer than the simple carbs most of us eat, which means you eat less, feel fuller and consume fewer calories overall.

There are other benefits that come from dropping carbs. A recent study found that dropping calories from carbs rather than fat actually helps to change your body composition. Those on a low-carb diet tend to gain muscle mass, rather than losing it the way you do in a low-fat diet. More muscle means a higher metabolic rate, and that means more calories burned all day long.

Those who drop their carbs also lower their risk of diabetes because high-protein diets release calories into the system much more slowly and trigger less of an insulin response than the simple sugars in carbohydrates. In the same study, those on low-carb diets raised their HDL (good cholesterol) and lowered the level of fat circulating in their blood.

That’s all great news, but, as Michelle asked, how do we know how much protein we’re supposed to be getting in our diet? I’m going to do a little math here, but stick with me. The number of calories you need every day is going to vary depending on your age, weight and gender, and it’s best to consult your doctor about how much you should be getting. In general, most women can eat 1200 to 1500 calories a day and lose weight. Let’s say you manage to up your protein to make it 40% of your calories: 40% of 1500 calories is 600 calories. There are about 4 calories of energy per gram of protein, so 600 divided by 4 is 150 grams of protein per day. A piece of meat the size of a deck of cards is about 3 ounces and contains about 21 grams of protein. So seven decks of cards is the amount of protein you need, though your daily sources of protein shouldn’t all come from meat. Make sure to get your fill of beans, lentils, Greek yogurt and nut butter.

Now to Michelle’s other question: What are the dangers of a high-protein diet? The main danger, as with any diet, is overdoing it. Protein shouldn’t be the entirety of your diet. You still need carbs, but you should try and get them mostly from fruits and vegetables. If you have to eat grains, try to each whole grains rather than refined carbs. Vegetable oils like olive oil or canola oil are healthy and can make up your calories from fats instead of butter. Nuts can also provide a healthy boost of protein, carbs and fat that has been shown to lengthen your life.

In terms of protein, focus more on lean sources like fish and poultry while minimizing red meat. Even though you’ll be cutting calories, remember that you shouldn’t be starving yourself. The point of switching to more protein is that you’ll feel just as full with fewer calories. If you keep your diet varied, include plenty of fruits and vegetables, and keep your calorie count in the healthy range, you shouldn’t run into any trouble.

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