Learning from Diets Throughout History: Influence

“I hold that a strongly marked personality can influence descendants for generations.”– Beatrix Potter Influence is a strange phenomenon. It can be used for good, or it can make people down shots of vinegar. Either way, we can all agree that it’s a powerful tool, especially in the realm of health and weight. It’s easy to see that power in …

Diets Throughout History: The Grapefruit Groove

There are a lot of foods that are as gorgeous as they are delicious, and grapefruit is a great example. It’s juicy with a robust, tart, citrusy taste, and a slice of the ruby red variety makes for a stunning addition to anyone’s breakfast plate.  But unfortunately for the grapefruit, it joined the ranks with cabbage, apples, and celery when …

Diets Throughout History: Chew on That!

Chewing our food is something we do every day, but seldomly think about (unless we accidentally bite our tongue). And while it’s good to thoroughly chew when we eat, one man in the early 1900s deemed it important enough to create an entire diet out of it. Horace Fletcher, otherwise known as “The Great Masticator” was a self-taught nutritionist and …

Diets Throughout History: Do You Bant?

“Do you bant?”  These days, this phrase has lost virtually all meaning, but back in Victorian England, it was the same as asking: “Did you lose weight?” or “Are you on a diet?”  The term was coined because of a man named William Banting, whose weight-loss experience had such a positive impact on his life that he wanted everyone to …

Diets Throughout History: Lord Byron and His Vinegar

Throughout history, people have tried some pretty odd things to fit societal expectations of beauty. Lord Byron was one such person. A prominent figure of Europe’s Romantic literary movement, Lord Byron was one of the most influential people during Britain’s early 1800s. He was also reportedly obsessed with staying thin. He tried all sorts of weight-loss methods like wearing layers …

Breakfasts You Can’t Beat

Whether you’re an early riser or you prefer to sleep in (that’s why the snooze button is there, after all), the first meal of the day is definitely something that can get you up and out of bed. The jury is still out on whether or not breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but we can get …

Speaking The Food Language

The pen might be mightier than the sword, but where does that leave the fork?  Words shape our world, and that includes the foods we eat. From the indulgent descriptions in food magazines and blogs to more restrictive verbiage, there are a lot of ways language can influence our eating habits. It’s good to recognize when that language is helpful …

The Up and Up on Dining Out

There’s something about going out to eat that feels special.  Maybe it’s the chance to eat something you don’t normally prepare at home. It could be getting a change of scenery. Or maybe it’s being able to order light and flaky grilled tilapia and not have your kitchen smell like fish for the next few days. Whatever it is, going …

Crave Your Nutrients 101

Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought: Why can’t I crave salad? If salad tasted as good as pizza, I would have zero problems getting in my greens. Often, when we experience a craving, it’s usually for foods that we see as comforting or foods that are high in fats and sugars. Chocolate, potato chips, candy, and other foods that …

The Stifling Stigma

Weight stigma is a lot of things. It’s the result of putting thinness on a pedestal, and it’s also pervasive in society.  But the worst aspect of it is how it’s become an excuse for some people to be hurtful while genuinely believing that they’re helping. Since weight stigma can be so difficult to deal with, it’s good to have …