DietMotion

A growing body of research suggests that certain compounds in chocolate can have a host of health benefits.

“We have heard how chocolate may be associated with a cardioprotective effect, and that it may lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol,”

said Dr. Randall Zusman, director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s division of hypertension.

“From my perspective, it is interesting that a natural product, especially something like chocolate, may have a beneficial effect.”

The positive effects shown thus far are predominantly associated with substances called flavonoids, which are abundant in raw (more…)

AndrewAndrew, a design firm, has created this cookie whose nutrition facts are printed right on it’s body, in edible ink.

This is the real cookie with the real nutritional facts printed on it and you can literally see the calories you eat.

Too bad not all cookies are like this one. If they were, maybe people might think twice about it before eating an entire box.

This particular one contains 35 grams of carb, which is the equivalent of almost a quarter of a cup of pure sugar and its calorie number (260) is equal to my breakfast’ calorie number. (more…)

Some people need an inside motivation to get exercising and eating right and others need a lot of extra motivation, like $50,000.

Podfitness is searching America for the most amazing stories of transformation. They’re giving away $50,000, a $30,000 home gym and a spot on their television show to one man and one woman whose stories are the most inspiring!

The Podfitness National Body Transformation Challenge is a 12-week (more…)

That Whole Grain Stamp was so successful that the company that brought you that stamp, Oldways Food Issues Think Tank, are creating a Mediterranean Diet Food Stamp. The plan is to introduce the stamp in about 6 weeks.

Here’s what the Food Navigator has to say about the stamp

The new stamp, which is in its final stages of development, will be available for use on products that meet the traditional Mediterranean guidelines set out by Oldways. The nutritional profiles of products submitted for the program will be examined against these guidelines, which promote foods rich in cereals, fruits, vegetables, and olive oil. (more…)

Scientists at Leeds University in England have created a scientific formula for making the perfect bacon sandwich based on numerous variables.

Researchers spent more than 1,000 hours testing 700 variants on bacon sandwiches. Some of the volunteer tasters sampled up to six variations of bacon sandwiches a day for three or four days, with such elements as thickness of bacon and bread, fattiness of the bacon, crispiness, cooking method and other factors altered. (more…)

As Americans spend billions each year on diet and exercise habits, it seems only a few are exercising at all, a new study shows.

Just one in seven U.S. adults reported regular physical activity along with consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

U.S. dietary guidelines call for adults to get five or more servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day. Government health recommendations also urge at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days per week or vigorous-intensity exercise at for least 20 minutes three days per week. (more…)

The largest study ever done on TV ads aimed at kids finds children of all ages are being pummeled with commercials for candy, snacks and sugary cereals.

Children 8 to 12 years old watch the most — an average of 21 food ads a day, or more than 7,600 a year, according to the study, released by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation and conducted with researchers at Indiana University.

The news comes at a time when there is growing concern over food marketing’s impact on the childhood obesity crisis. Currently, about a third of the nation’s children and teens in the USA — about 25 million kids (more…)

Functional food is a relatively new term in the area of nutrition but it is gaining interest among nutritionists and consumers alike.

The term functional food is defined by the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board as “any food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains.”

Some of the naturally-occurring chemicals or components that provide the health benefits of functional foods are referred to as phytochemicals. Studies are still being conducted to determine the exact role of these food components in disease prevention.

Functional foods have been associated with the prevention and/or treatment of the four leading causes of death in the US, which are:

• cancer, (more…)

The amount of antioxidants in pizza dough can be increased, according to a new study, by using whole-grain wheat, along with letting the dough ferment longer and baking it longer and at hotter temperatures.

Food chemistry researcher Jeffrey Moore and his team at the University of Maryland conducted a study to see if they could increase levels of antioxidants in dough and they were especially interested in pizza dough because of pizza’s popularity in American society.

The team cooked whole-grain pizza dough made from two different types of wheat. Whole-grain wheat contains bran and endosperm (more…)

“The Ring” is an unusual fruit bowl made of porcelain designed by Joung Myung Lee from Germany. It is not placed on a dining table, but hangs on the wall. The concept is between art and design. Just hang it on an accessible wall and fill the bowl with your favorite fruits.

The openings on the top and bottom will help you reach the fruit, while the openings on the sides will help you know the level of fruits remaining in the bowl. The best part about this fruit bowl is that it helps you save a lot of space, especially if you have a small kitchen like I do.

The ring is an useful design object, shape and openings are a new and (more…)