Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin-spiced ice cream, pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin frosting, pumpkin candy…if you’ve been in a grocery store lately you’ve probably seen one of these treats. We are officially in the season of pumpkin-spiced everything. According to Registered Dietitian and nutrition expert for TOPS, Dena McDowell, these foods have one thing in common…and it has nothing to do with actual…
Working for a health and wellness organization, my team and I are often asked, “What’s the best form of exercise?” Well, swimming is an awesome way to burn calories and is easy on your joints…but what if you hate water? Running is a popular form of cardio and requires little more than a good pair of shoes…but what if you…
If you’ve read some of my past postings, you may have noticed that I kind of have a thing for veggies. And I don’t mean that in an “I-always-choose-carrot-sticks-over-potato chips kind of way.” Far from it. I still enjoy foods like chips and the occasional cheeseburger; I just love the versatility of vegetables. I love the endless list of nutritional…
Have you ever pored over a recipe, carefully planning every ingredient, only for it to turn out to be a big dud? If you’ve ever cooked or baked, chances are you may have made a flavorless side dish or cookies that could pass for hockey pucks. It happens. Throughout our weight-loss journeys, TOPS encourages us to keep trying and to…
A major natural food store chain took some flak last week for having bottles of water containing asparagus stalks on one of their store’s shelves. The asparagus water turned out to be a mistake and a big “oops” moment for the chain, but not drinking enough water shouldn’t be an “oops” for you. I’ve been paying more attention to this…
Be honest. How much food do you end up tossing out every week? If you’re anything like me, you find yourself throwing away produce you had every intention of eating (but has since turned into a terrifying science experiment in the back of the fridge) more often than you’d like. Turns out I’m not alone. In the U.S., 30-40% of…
Have you ever thought of how one choice you made in life affected the life you’re living right now? Maybe you wouldn’t have met your spouse if you hadn’t nervously agreed to that blind date. Maybe you would never have landed your dream job if, without knowing much about it, you hadn’t decided to apply anyway. While there are certainly…
Have you ever experienced, or are you currently experiencing, FOSAW? I’m talking about Fear Of Scale After the Weekend. If we’re not careful, FOSAW can become a weekly occurrence. We often hear about how difficult it can be to manage weight in the winter. After all, we have the holidays, the heavy comfort foods and the gloomy weather that’s rarely…
Whether you’re following a gluten-free meal plan, a strict vegetarian or vegan, or you’re a fan of the primal or paleo diet, I think we can all agree on these three words: vegetables are awesome. They’re so awesome, in fact, that they have their own day – Wednesday, June 17, is Eat Your Vegetables Day. I like the fact that…