Posts

By Jessie Shafer, RD, Marsha McCulloch, RD, LD and Jane Burnett, RD, LD The Facts About Sugar Substitutes Some of the most frequent questions we receive at Diabetic Living are about sugar substitutes. The topic is polarizing: some of you love them, some of you hate them. Some of you are concerned about their safety, and some of you want tips for how to use them more. For many people with diabetes, sugar substitutes – which include artificial and natural sweeteners – provide solutions for cutting out excess calories and carbohydrate while still being able to enjoy sweet treats....

two hands holding a pumpkin shaped dutch oven Credit: Penelope Wall Thanksgiving will be different for so many of us this year. While we usually travel by plane or car to visit family over the holidays, this year my husband and I (and our kids) are staying put at home. It will just be the four of us celebrating together. (I’m curious: what are your Thanksgiving plans this year? Take my poll below and let me know!...

As a dietitian, I’m well aware of the benefits that come with eating more veggies. From better blood pressure, a reduced risk for certain cancers and an easier time losing and maintaining a healthy weight, the benefits are endless. That being said, veggie’s aren’t always the first thing I crave when my stomach starts to rumble, and there are days where I need some serious motivation to actually get in the recommended 2 to 3 servings....

trader joe's healthy salads trader joe's healthy salads trader joe’s healthy salads trader joe’s healthy salads If you’re sick of throwing away another container of spinach at the end of the week because you didn’t know what to do with it, you’re not alone! We can have every intention to load up on more veggies on our weekly grocery run, only to toss out limp greens, peppers, and cucumbers before the next trip rolls around....

As the number of people getting vaccinated continues to rise, we’re learning more and more about the approved vaccine options and their effectiveness at stopping the spread of COVID-19. Today the White House COVID-19 Response Team held a live-streamed press briefing to give people relevant and important updates on vaccination efforts and updated recommendations for outdoor mask wearing. The main focus of the briefing was to talk about the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) updated recommendations for those who are fully vaccinated....

chicken the prep Our column, ThePrep, has everything you’ll need to make meal planning and meal prep as easy as can be. Sign up here to get a meal plan delivered to your inbox every Saturday! There’s nothing like a full sink of dishes to scrub after having a nice dinner, so this week I’m sticking to recipes that use just one pot or pan. These easy-peasy meals will make the evenings that much more relaxing and maybe I’ll even have enough time to finally finish the book I’ve been reading!...

Foggy outdoor winery area with silhouette of a tree Credit: The Winery at Bull Run Foggy outdoor winery area with silhouette of a tree Credit: The Winery at Bull Run Foggy outdoor winery area with silhouette of a tree Credit: The Winery at Bull Run Foggy outdoor winery area with silhouette of a tree Credit: The Winery at Bull Run Fall will be in full force in just a few short weeks, and we are so ready for pumpkin carving, pulling those cozy sweaters out of storage and watching Hocus Pocus at least a dozen times....

platter of wraps from the five spice turkey lettuce wraps recipe platter of wraps from the five spice turkey lettuce wraps recipe platter of wraps from the five spice turkey lettuce wraps recipe platter of wraps from the five spice turkey lettuce wraps recipe As food prices continue to tick up, we’re all looking for ways to keep grocery bill in check. Focusing meals on affordable pantry items and organizing your shopping list to stay on budget are a couple of tricks to help tackle inflation at the grocery store....

Burger King's Big Fish Sandwich with Wendy's, Burger King's, and Chipotle's Logos Credit: Courtesy of Brand Burger King's Big Fish Sandwich with Wendy's, Burger King's, and Chipotle's Logos Credit: Courtesy of Brand Burger King’s Big Fish Sandwich with Wendy’s, Burger King’s, and Chipotle’s Logos Credit: Courtesy of Brand Burger King’s Big Fish Sandwich with Wendy’s, Burger King’s, and Chipotle’s Logos Credit: Courtesy of Brand Fast-food restaurants are known for their convenient and, oftentimes, budget-friendly offerings, but their menus aren’t necessarily known for being the healthiest....

Susan Avery seemed more at home in the supermarket than a box of cereal. Wielding a coffee in one hand and a menu she printed at home in the other, she rolled her shopping cart over to the bakery, hunting for the perfect whole-grain loaf. She spotted a man wearing a black Wegmans cap and solicited his help. “Sir? Do you have any other than just this one whole-wheat?” Avery was being picky because she’s on a diet....

Aldi store front with a designed treatment in the background Credit: Getty Images / Bloomberg When you’re looking for a budget-friendly grocery store with quality products, Aldi is the perfect option. With over 2,000 stores across 36 states, the German chain prides itself on selling “the best food at low prices,” and states that “everything [they] do is purposefully designed to save people money.” And one smart, money-saving design is requiring customers to temporarily pay to use a grocery cart....

All Greens Smoothie Bowl Food allergies and intolerances don’t need to stand in the way of healthy eating. With some simple planning, eating with allergies and intolerances is made easy. In this pre-planned dairy-free, gluten free meal plan, delicious meals and snacks combine for a nutritious day of eating, completely free of dairy and gluten-containing ingredients. We made sure to include foods high in folate, potassium and niacin-three nutrients that can be lacking in a dairy-free, gluten-free diet....

Miracle Cure-All? Facts You Should Know About CBD Oil Google “CBD oil” and you’ll find pages and pages of articles, ads and studies. Makers claim the popular hemp extract-sold online and available in many states in health and natural food stores-may help treat a long list of health problems, from acne to anxiety, chronic pain to cancer. But is it safe, and does it work? Here’s a quick guide to what you need to know....

homemade pasta drying Credit: Casey Barber If you’re looking for a new kitchen project to tackle this weekend, look no further than homemade pasta dough. Making pasta is even easier than making bread. You only need four ingredients—flour, eggs, olive oil and salt—to make pasta magic. It only takes about an hour from start to finish, and that includes a half hour of resting time. And you don’t even need a pasta maker....

Nearly half of all American are currently living with hypertension, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A large proportion of the 37 million Americans with moderate hypertension (120 to 139 mmHg/80 to 89 mmHg) are put on blood pressure-lowering drugs. But instead of hopping immediately to prescribing statins, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have recently issued a new protocol, which was just published as a scientific statement in the journal Hypertension....

Photo: Getty Images / Tom Werner There’s been quite a bit of research on the positive effects that nature has on your mood, happiness, and stress levels, but now you can add another healthy boon to the list. According to a new study in Health & Place, being outdoors and among greenery can reduce cravings. The study was conducted at the University of Plymouth, and it’s the first to show that access to greenspace leads to both lower frequencies and strengths of common cravings....

skillet chili mac ThePrep Our column, ThePrep, has everything you’ll need to make meal planning and meal prep as easy as can be. Sign up here to get a meal plan delivered to your inbox every Saturday! I always appreciate the comfort that my favorite meals provide (something we could all use right about now), even if they only help me feel better for just a little while. This week’s comfort food dinners hit the spot, with recipes like Spaghetti & Meatballs, Potsticker & Vegetable Soup and Skillet Chili Mac....

getting blood pressure taken getting blood pressure taken getting blood pressure taken getting blood pressure taken While we tend to focus more on heart attacks when we think about cardiovascular disease, strokes are actually a serious and quite common health concern, too. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association (AHA). (It ranks just after heart disease, cancer, accidents and lower respiratory diseases, the U....

Sometimes it feels like there are just not enough hours in the day. Our lives are constantly busy, and we tend to put getting the proper amount of sleep on the back burner. You may not realize this, but getting good night’s sleep is incredibly important for your overall health. Research shows that getting the proper amount of sleep may reduce your risk of developing certain chronic illnesses and can help boost your immune system....

hot drink in hands with dark nail polish and an Ask the Test Kitchen logo Credit: Getty There’s no doubt that Thanksgiving will look a little—or a lot—different for most of us this year. But that doesn’t mean the holiday is canceled. Based on chatting with fellow editors and combing through recipe searches and other data, here are the top trends we’re predicting for Thanksgiving 2020. Smaller Gatherings with Smaller Meals: As fewer people are planning to travel or get together with large groups, we are seeing increasing interest in smaller—but still special—meals, including Thanksgiving recipes and menus for two....