Does Drinking Diet Drinks really give you energy and help you loose weight?

With claims like "don't waste your work out," "healthy sustained energy," and the promise of a "shake for breakfast and lunch with a sensible dinner will help you loose weight," what diet drink do you choose?
The question to be asked is: Do these diet drinks (EAS, Slim Fast, Atkins, and Muscle Milk) do what they claim? Do they give you sustained energy all while helping you loose weight?
Studies conducted by the Mayo Clinic state that manufacturers of protein shakes may claim that their products decrease body fat or promote weight loss. But there is no evidence that this is true. Eating a source of protein as part of a meal or snack is a good idea. You'll likely feel satisfied longer, which means you're likely to consume fewer calories overall. Occasionally having a protein shake with added vitamins and minerals as a meal supplement is better than skipping a meal. However, these types of shakes — even if the labels shows added nutrients — do not replace all of the benefits of whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Also, the down fall of these drinks is that nutritional supplements can be marketed without FDA approval of safety or effectiveness. Athletes who choose to ingest these supplements should be concerned with the safety of long-term use. They are low-nutrient, low-fiber, highly-processed, high-calorie "foods," whose consumption reduces the phytochemical density of your diet.

The diet drinks studied contain large amounts of protein. Ingesting more protein than your body needs is not a small matter. It ages you prematurely and can cause significant harm. The excess protein you do not use is not stored by your body as protein; it is converted to fat or eliminated via the kidneys. Eliminating excess nitrogen via your urine leaches calcium and other minerals from your bones and breeds kidney stones
Bottom Line:
By not consuming diet drinks you are saving money, saving your health by eating real foods versus processed foods, and you may cut back on fat/ meal. So if you are going for weight loss and increased energy there are better alternatives. Instead of purchasing a drink, grab a precut fruit bowl, a yogurt, string cheese and an apple, or grab a grilled chicken breast from the deli.
Danette Allen Fitness
www.bodyheartmindsoul.com
"Live Your Best Life!"

Health & Fitness Retreats, Exercise Workouts, Nutrition, Motivational Tools, Events & More

Channel 5 TV segment "Diet Drink Controversy"

Watch Wed. the 3rd at 11:00 am  Channel 5...I am talking about the Diet Drink Controversy.  Do these diet drinks such as Slim Fast, EAS, and Muscle Milk really do what they claim?  Do they give you extra energy and help you loose weight?


Danette Allen Fitness
www.bodyheartmindsoul.com
"Live Your Best Life!"

Health & Fitness Retreats, Exercise Workouts, Nutrition, Motivational Tools, Events & More

WHICH YOGURT? Healthy vs. More like a Dessert

As your grocery shopping and come across all the different yogurts, which one do you choose? Weight Watchers claims to "widdle your waist line," while Activia promises to "promote great digestion and health." Yoplait says it "tastes great all while helping you fit into that smaller size jean." With so many choices, no wonder consumers are confused!

Doing a little research and taste sampling, I was able to take some of the most popular brands and compare them against one another.

I compared them with:
• sugar content
• fat content
• ingredients
• taste.

My sample consisted of:
1. Yoplait
2. Dannon
3. Danon Light & Fit
4. Weight Watchers
5. Activia
6. Wallaby
7. Greek Gods
8. Brown Cow

So which ones should you buy for health purposes?



Wallaby, Greek Gods, and Brown Cow all had the best ingredients - or should I say less ingredients. They were not weighed down with artificial flavorings, chemicals such as yellow #5 or blue #1. Why start putting chemicals in your body first thing in the morning, when you don't have too? They all contained a lower sugar content, consisting of organic cane sugar, instead of high fructose corn syrup (chemically altered sugar). The best thing though, is they contained all live cultures of healthy bacteria such as L. acidophilus, L-bigaricus, S. thermophilus, & bifidus.


Weight Watchers and Danon Light & Fit were not everything they claimed. Yes, they had low fat content, but high sugar content. They also did not contain all of the live cultures, which is why yogurt is healthy in the first place. Weight Watchers, especially, had many chemicals but unlike Danon Light & Fit it had more live cultures.


Yoplait and Danon were defiantly your dessert yogurts. Having both High fructose corn syrup, chemicals, and not many live cultures. Yes, they may have all the flavors under the moon, but at what cost?


I know you are all wondering about Activia..does it really help with digestion? The answer is yes…but not any better than Wallaby, Greek Gods or Brown Cow. All those yogurts contain the same live cultures which help with digestion, but Activia just has a great marketing plan!

All in all, your best bet is to purchase a low fat, plain flavor brand such as Greek Gods, or Wallaby. They have all natural ingredients, all the live bacterial cultures to promote digestion and health, no fat, and low amounts of milk sugars and a nice tasting creamy flavor. The beauty about purchasing plain yogurt is you can add your own natural flavoring. Flavor it with a tsp. honey or all natural maple syrup. You can pour Acai juice or add fresh blueberries and nuts.

Ageless Beauty Through the 8 Super Foods

Danette Allen shares the ageless beauty that can be found through these 8 super foods.

It sounds very simple, but over time--say 1 to 2 months--using these 8 super foods can make a dramatic difference in how you look and feel.
MY STORY
This has worked very well for many of my clients, but we don't have time to share all their success stories, so let me quickly tell you my story.
I had bad adult on-set acne—It was terrible and unfortunately I still have a few scars from it. Anyway, it was very frustrating and I felt horrible about my skin and complexion. I tried all sorts of things to try and cure this from visiting special doctors and trying various skin care treatments. They all had little or no impact on my awful condition. I did realize that certain foods made my condition worse.
I wanted vibrant glowing skin and I wanted to minimize the inflammation on my face. I started using these "8 super foods" and within one month my acne was gone. I know my skin is not perfect, but these 8 super foods have made a huge difference for me on how I look and feel.
Besides all your dark multi colored fruits and vegetables these are the 8 super foods I highly recommend to prevent inflammation, improve your immune system, and give you vibrant glowing skin
WHAT THEY DO
These foods lower and regulate blood sugar levels-an important factor to slow down the aging process, obesity and wrinkles

I. Some key components they can do are:
      a. Prevent or reduce inflammation
      b. Burn body fat
      c. Decrease cholesterol
      d. Decrease blood pressure
      e. Promote digestive health

BENEFITS ONE-BY-ONE

1. Acai Berry
      Packed w/ antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids-helps w/ premature aging
2. Barley
      High in both soluble and insoluble fiber-Helps body metabolize fat
3. Buckwheat
      High in protein and amino acids; high in minerals -decreases high blood pressure and LDL cholesterol
4. Beans and Lentils
      High in fiber, and folic acid-helps with anti aging and is low in fat
5. Nuts and Seeds(in the there raw and unsalted form)
      Decreases risk of heart disease, high in omega 3 and omega 6 and also in Vitamin E. which helps with fighting wrinkles
6. Yogurt & Kefir
      Fights against infectious diseases, increases immune function- helps with obesity
7. Allium Group (onions, scallions, shallots)
      Powerful antioxidants and cancer fighters
8. Wheat and Barley Grass
     Free radical scavenger- reduces inflammation.

Danette Allen Fitness
www.bodyheartmindsoul.com
"Live Your Best Life!"

Health & Fitness Retreats, Exercise Workouts, Nutrition, Motivational Tools, Events & More

Slim & Trim Holiday Recipe Makeover

Dietician Danette Allen shares four recipes that will help us trim back and slim up.

ARTICHOKE DIP
Ingredients:
1 15 oz can artichoke hearts rinsed and drained
3/4 c. cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1/4 c. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
2 tblsp. grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. reduced fat sour cream
2 tbsp. part skim ricoota
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Method:
Heat oven to 350 deg. combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a rough puree spread in a shallow 8 inch serving dish and bake until bubbling (about 30 minutes). Serve with warm pita chips or whole wheat crackers

Nurtition Facts/Serving:
68 calories
9 g. carbohydrate
2 g. fat


GREEN BEANS w/OLIVE ALMOND RELISH
Ingredients:
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 Tbsp. prepared green-olive tapanade
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

Method:
Steam green beans approx 8 min.
In a bowl whisk together the tapanade, lemon zest and juice.
Place green beans in a bowl, drizzle the tapanade mixture over them and scatter almonds on top.

Nutrition Facts/Serving:
72 calories
6 g. carbohydrate
5 g. fat


BROWNIES
Ingredients:
1/2 c. unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
3 egg whites
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. instant coffee granules (optional)
1/2c. white whole wheat pastry flour

Method:
Mix all dry ingredients then add applesauce and egg whites ad fold into dry mixture. Put in 8 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min.

Nutrition Facts/Serving:
99 calories
23 g. carbohydrate
0.5 g. fat

Danette Allen is the owner of Action Personal Training in Salt Lake City. She has been a dietician and fitness professional for the past 11 years. Danette has a huge passion for health and speaks to local and national groups about ways to feel your best. For more information about her personal training services or fitness retreats, visit www.bodyheartmindsoul.com.


Danette Allen Fitness
www.bodyheartmindsoul.com
"Live Your Best Life!"

Health & Fitness Retreats, Exercise Workouts, Nutrition, Motivational Tools, Events & More

Nutrition...eating well and feeling great

Mindful eating helps.

"Live Your Best Life--Body Heart Mind Soul"
Health & Fitness Retreats