eating

Many people who commit to healthy eating also indulge in a cheat day, where they take a break from regimented eating. While some experts say they can help keep you on track (especially as part of an 80/20 mentality where you eat more nutrient-dense foods 80% of the time and enjoy indulgences the...

Discipline, willpower, motivation — these are all great to have when you’re focusing on building healthy habits, but they don’t come out of nowhere. Although you might feel an initial rush of willpower when you start on a path of better nutrition and exercise, it’s vital to build your reserves...

If you want to lose weight or gain muscle, it often feels like there’s no room for error, especially when it comes to your diet. However, according to nutrition experts, a streak of eating “perfectly” could actually backfire. “Trying to be perfect with your diet will set you up for disaster...

Self-control can sometimes feel like it’s all or nothing, especially when you’re trying to stick with a strict eating plan to lose weight. The moment you veer off course with one indulgence, it’s easy to feel like you’ve failed, which makes it that much easier to throw in the towel. But, in...

Oftentimes when you set out to lose weight, it involves deeming some foods ‘good’ and others ‘bad’ and restricting those in the latter category. This often backfires, however, because when you deprive yourself of the things you love (and eliminate entire food groups) it usually leads to a...

Over the past couple years, intermittent fasting has gained significant attention for its potential role in weight loss, but recent research suggests there may be far more benefits to the strategy than just whittling your middle — it’s possible it might even extend your life. In a review...

While intermittent fasting is not new, the trend is beginning to gather more attention. As part of a 2019 study, researchers followed 19 adults with metabolic syndrome whose meals were spread over a 14-hour window and found limiting meals to a 10-hour window (followed by 14 hours of fasting) was...

Chances are you’ve heard of intuitive eating. One of the biggest advantages of this approach is that you can use internal hunger and fullness cues to help you decide when you’ve eaten enough. Often, this is done via a hunger scale helps people avoid overeating. But exactly how to eat until...

Maybe you’re diligent about tracking your food and working on hitting your weight goals by creating a modest caloric deficit, but you’ve hit a plateau along the way. You might even be going in the other direction, and gaining weight despite feeling motivated and disciplined. In either case, one...

As a registered dietitian, I shudder when I hear the term “cheat day.” Not because I’m thinking of people shoving donuts and cheeseburgers in their mouths left and right, but because it’s a term rooted in diet culture that firmly places food in “good” or “bad” camps. Here’s why associating...

Healthy weight loss starts with eating well. But if you’re struggling with body image or desperate to get over a weight-loss plateau, it can be easy to veer into not-so-healthy territory with eating habits. The signs you’ve got an unhealthy relationship with food aren’t always easy to spot, says...

Losing weight takes hard work and dedication, which is why it’s important to create healthy habits that stick as part of a bigger picture lifestyle. Learning to make the process easier with research-backed tips helps you set the stage for long-term success. As you go, keep in mind what works...

Fat plays a fundamental role in a healthy diet. The macronutrient is necessary for cellular growth, supporting healthier skin and hair and regulating the body’s metabolic functions. Fats keep our hormones in balance and help us absorb key nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and K (there’s a reason...

When it comes to talking about weight loss and fat, the conversation usually goes in one of two directions. Either you’re discussing the benefit of adding healthy fat into a diet to lose weight, or you’re talking about decreasing body fat percentage, which some experts note can be a better way...

In a world where there’s no shortage of “miracle” diets, it can feel like there’s always a new, different eating style being touted as the next big thing for weight loss. But when it comes to weight-loss trends, it’s important to be a critical consumer. “It’s smart to do a little digging and...

The ability to feel hunger and fullness is a quality we were each born with. Babies and little kids don’t need to be told how much milk or food they need to consume to stay healthy; instead, when they are satisfied, they become disinterested in food and simply stop eating. As adults, it’s harder...

According to reports from the Mayo Clinic, around 15% of the 1,000 people surveyed gained 1–3 pounds during quarantine. The average person, however, only gained 0.21 pounds. “Weight gain in quarantine [i.e., the quarantine 15] has been largely blown out of proportion,” says Jessica Jaeger, RD...

“Cut the carbs, bring on the fat.” That’s been the diet battle cry of late with the rise in popularity of the ketogenic diet. But you don’t have to go zero to keto — the low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet can yield similar benefits and is a less restrictive eating plan. The LCHF diet “moves away...

A popular diet and lifestyle, intermittent fasting (IF) touts multiple benefits, including weight loss, protection from diabetes, improved gut health and reduced inflammation. There are many different types of IF with various periods of fasting and non-fasting, including the 16/8 method, which...

If you’re trying to lose weight, it seems to make sense to cut as many calories from your diet as possible. Unfortunately, it’s possible to eat too little, which not only makes it harder for you to achieve a healthy weight, but it can also cause other health problems. In other words, eating...