I’m often asked, “Is all sugar bad, including the sugar in fruit?” The answer is no – as long as you don’t go overboard.Presently, the strictest guidelines about sugar only refer to “added sugar,” which is sugar that's been added to a product by the manufacturer, like sweetened yogurt, baked goods, and candy, or the sugar you add to your own morning cup of Joe, not the kind added by Mother Nature, like the sugar in fruit. The American Heart Association has stated that we should limit our intake of "added sugar" to no more than 100 calories per day for women, and 150 for men, which amounts to 25 and 37.5 grams respectively. To put that in perspective, 25 grams of sugar equals about 6 level teaspoons of granulated sugar and 37.5 equals about 9 teaspoons. Hitting the target is entirely doable, but doing so would be a big change for many Americans, considering that the average intake of added sugar is currently 22 teaspoons daily, an amount that snowballs into 35 two pound boxes per person each year! Here's the tricky part: right now, Nutrition Facts labels don’t distinguish between added sugars (the type that should be limited) and…

Remember the phrase, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach?” Well, new research from scientists at the University of Bristol puts an interesting twist on that saying. In the study, researchers showed volunteers either a small or large portion of soup just before lunch, then altered the quantity of soup the diners actually received, using a pump that secretly refilled or emptied the bowls.Immediately after the meal, the soup slurpers’ self-reported hunger levels paralleled the amounts they had actually consumed, rather than the amounts they were shown. However, two to three hours later, those who had previewed a larger portion reported feeling significantly less hungry. And a full day later, more of the subjects shown the bigger quantity believed that their soup serving was enough to satisfy their hunger.I love this study, because I’ve often seen, for both myself and my clients, that larger portions tend to trigger greater satisfaction. And the good news is, you can fill up without filing out.It’s actually a myth that bigger portions always mean more calories - it just depends on what you’re eating. Within each food group, the portion that corresponds to one serving can vary widely. For example, three cups of popped popcorn,…

Since the recent Harvard study, which found that red meat consumption is tied to an increased risk of death from heart disease and cancer, many people have asked me about giving up meat, or at least cutting back. The study, which tracked over 100,000 men and women for about three decades, found that replacing one serving of red meat with one serving of a different protein source was associated with a lower death risk: 7% lower for fish, 10% for beans, lentils and soy, 10% for low-fat dairy products, 14% for poultry, 14% for whole grains and 19% for nuts - pretty significant numbers. Replacing red meat with poultry or salmon is pretty easy, but if you’re motivated to move towards a plant based diet, figuring out what to eat can be tricky, since most of us have been trained to build our meals around meat. But in reality, most of the foods we eat, or at least those we should be eating for optimal health, are plant-based. And that’s exactly how I constructed the eating plan in S.A.S.S! Yourself Slim. It includes four meals a day, each constructed as a puzzle with five pieces: Produce (fruit at the breakfast and…

The notion that laughter is the best medicine has probably existed for years, but the first real proof surfaced in the 1970s when Norman Cousins, a writer and magazine editor of the popular Saturday Review, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. He believed that if stress could worsen his health, which was known at the time, than laughter could improve it. With the approval of his doctor, he tested the theory on himself, by prescribing funny videos, and his disease went into remission. He wrote a paper about his experience, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, as well as a best selling book, Anatomy of an Illness: A Patient’s Perspective, and opened our eyes to the connection between laughter and wellness. Since that time dozens of formal studies have been published, and the findings are amazing: Laughter boosts hormones, including beta-endorphins, which elevate mood and human growth hormone, which helps boost immunity. In one study, just anticipating watching a funny video sent the hormones surging by 27% and 87% respectively. A good belly laugh can also lower harmful stress hormones, including cortisol, which triggers an increase in belly fat, and adrenaline, which can weaken the immune system when it remains…