Diet

Feeling a bit too curvy for bikini season? Don't fret--get in shape instead! Though summer is almost over, there's still time to shed enough weight to fit into your dream bikini; and better yet, it's a simple as biting into a juicy fruit. For starters, let's stock up on apples: here's why. Apples: The Ultimate Slim Down? They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but now it appears it can keep away those pesky pounds as well.…
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So what's worse: Soy or fructose? As it turns out, eating a diet higher in soybean oil could do more harm than fructose, according to new research from the University of California. According to the research, which was published earlier this week, eating a diet rich in coconut oil and fructose actually caused less weight weight than a diet rich in soybean oil, showing that fructose alone may not be bad for a person's figure. In addition, soybean oil increased…
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A good diet helps us lose weight fast, but it also harm something more important in the long run: Our metabolism. Oftentimes, we destroy our metabolism without even knowing it. And when that happens, one thing is sure to follow--a sudden weight plateau. Believe it or not, however, there are ways to kick-start it while continuing to lose weight. "You have a huge amount of control over your metabolic rate," says John Berardi, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., author of The Metabolism Advantage…
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While chronic inflammation is a nuisance to most people, scientists know it could trigger something more serious--colon cancer. Now research reveals a new way to reduce this inflammation. According to research from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, losing weight while taking vitamin D supplements helps reduce chronic inflammation, something which could also reduce a person's risk of colon cancer. The findings are published in the July issue of Cancer Prevention Research. "We know from our previous studies that by…
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While most people go vegan for animal rights, there now may be a more important reason to make your diet cruelty-free, say researchers from Taiwan. According to new research posted in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, vegan diets also help people lose more weight than those on traditional omnivore diets, making it the best way to lose weight. In fact, vegans lose 2.52 kilograms more on average--that's roughly 5.5 pounds. For researchers, it once again proves that veganism is…
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We're all familiar with cravings--but how much is enough to keep us satisfied? According to researchers from Cornell University, it's probably a lot less than you think you need. The research, which now appears in the journal Food Quality and Preference, reveals people who eat small portion sizes of "cheat" foods, such as chocolate, chips, or apple pie, felt just as satisfied as people who had larger portions. In addition, they ate fewer calories, saving 103 calories on average. Although…
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Want to lose weight and keep it off? Here's an easy strategy: Weigh yourself everyday. The findings, which were recently reported by Cornell University, reveal this strategy is one of the best ways to lose weight and keep it off--for up to two years, at least. As for the reasons why, researchers say it makes people accountable. "You just need a bathroom scale and an excel spreadsheet or even a piece of graph paper," says David Levitsky, a professor of…
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Food cravings are a dieter's worst nightmare, but here's one way to get rid of them fast, say researchers. According to findings by University of Missouri-Columbia researchers, people who ate a healthy breakfast high in protein experienced less hunger and food cravings throughout the day, helping them eat less. In addition, researchers found that eating a protein-rich breakfast reduced brain signals triggering people to eat more, acting as a natural appetite suppressant. The research is published online in the health…
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Some experts say fasting could cure everything--from a plump waistline to cancer. And while there's not enough proof it could cure certain illnesses, research now shows it has a new benefit: Lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes. The research, which appears in the journal Cell Metabolism, studied the effects of fasting in yeast, mice, and people, but it was the results they garnered from their human experiment that made news. While they did not exclusively fast, their calories were…
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Foods labeled with the words "fitness," "active," or "health" may fool people into thinking it's good to splurge on--but that's exactly why these foods may be a bad choice for consumers, according to new research from the Journal of Marketing Research. These foods even make people exercise less, says CBS medical contributor Holly Phillips, M.D.. "Marketing foods and branding them as 'fitness' and 'active' and 'health' is a really popular sales strategy," says Phillips, who did not participate in the…
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