FDA rule change boosts access to morning-after pill
Women have easier and quicker access to the morning after pill since the Food and Drug Administration ruled that the medication could be sold to adults without a prescription, a survey of pharmacies in three large US cities shows. In 2006, the FDA approved “behind the counter” status for Plan B — meaning that people aged 18 and older can buy the emergency contraceptive over the counter,... Read more
Atkins Diet
Steak with Bearnaise sauce, eggs, and bacon; cheddar cheese omelets — don’t hold the yolks; Roquefort dressing and silky smooth avocado cream soup made with real cream? These rich foods are allowed as part of the controversial diet described in Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, a phenomenal best seller, and several follow-up books. The Atkins diet promises that not only will you lose... Read more
What to Eat During Morning Sickness
When you’re pregnant and battling morning sickness, the last thing you may feel like doing is swallowing food. But it’s important that you and your baby continue eating. The American Pregnancy Association says these foods may help tame morning sickness: Foods that can be eaten cold, including cold sandwiches, raw vegetables and fruits such as lemon or ginger, or cold salad. Don’t... Read more
Best Life Diet
Exercise physiologist Bob Greene’s Best Life Diet is an easy-to-follow, no-gimmicks approach to a healthy diet and lifestyle. It’s a dietitian’s dream diet — and one that apparently changed talk show host Oprah Winfrey’s life. Winfrey describes in the foreword how, after years of struggling with diets, she found success with The Best Life Diet. There is nothing groundbreaking... Read more
Signs of Celiac Disease in Children
Celiac disease is a painful digestive disorder that can be controlled by eliminating gluten from the diet. Gluten is found in foods that contain wheat, barley, rye or oats. The following symptoms may signal celiac disease in children, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians: Among babies, symptoms may include pain in the abdomen or diarrhea that may be bloody. Babies may also stop growing... Read more
Cabbage Soup Diet
If eating a bottomless bowl of cabbage soup, along with a few other low-calorie foods, for a solid week appeals to you, the Cabbage Soup Diet is sure to lead to quick weight loss. However, since the food choices are so limited and the calories so low, boredom — and inadequate nutrition — are inevitable. Versions of this very restrictive diet have been buzzing through fax machines and circulating... Read more
Banning fast-food TV ads could dent obesity
A little less “I’m Lovin’ It” could put a significant dent in the problem of childhood obesity, suggests a new study that attempts to measure the effect of TV fast-food ads. A ban on such commercials would reduce the number of obese young children by 18 percent, and the number of obese older kids by 14 percent, researchers found. They also suggested that ending an advertising... Read more
Texting Food Diaries Helps Kids Stick With Diets
Experts hope that letting kids have their fingers do the texting will increase compliance with the food diaries that are such a critical part of successful dieting. As a first proof that such a method might work, a new University of North Carolina study shows that kids aged 5 to 13 are almost twice as likely to text daily records of their food intake, exercise and screen time as those using the old-fashioned... Read more
Cookie Diet
Being hungry and craving sweets are two of the main reasons people fall off their diets. But what if eating cookies and not being hungry was part of your diet plan? The Cookie Diet uses cookies to entice dieters into easy weight loss. After all, what could be more appealing than losing weight while indulging in one of our favorite treats? But these are not your grandmother’s cookies. Instead they’re... Read more
Flat Belly Diet
It sounds like a dream come true: Eat certain foods and banish belly fat forever. The Flat Belly Diet promises a flat belly and weight loss of up to 15 pounds in 32 days. “A flat belly is about food & attitude … not a single crunch required,” it boasts on its cover. Written in the first person by Liz Vaccariello, editor in chief of Prevention, along with Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD,... Read more