If you’ve ever found yourself standing in the aisle of a grocery store debating between purchasing the conventional $1.99 eggs versus the $3.99 cage-free eggs versus the $6.99 free-range eggs, don’t worry. You are not alone.

If you’re anything like the average consumer, you probably find some of the terminology on food packages confusing.   Believe me when I tell you that it confuses me too, and I’m a dietitian!

Animal welfare is a hot topic. The Trump Administration recently withdrew the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) proposed final rule. This rule would have helped to improve the welfare of USDA Certified Organic livestock animals (1).  

You might think that Organic label on animal products already means that the animals lived happy, healthy, farm lives with plenty of open space to roam free. But not necessarily; there are loopholes.

Consumers want to feel like they’re making well-informed choices when they purchase organic products, but there are some companies who exploit the organic label.

“As for organic meat, regulations require that animals are raised in living conditions accommodating their natural...

Traditional recipes will have you add sugar to the heavy whipping cream before you beat it, but you don’t need the sugar. I like to add real vanilla extract instead. The vanilla flavor adds enough sweetness that the sugar isn’t needed. I use about a...

For most people, the flavor of sweetness is something they cannot resist. Studies have shown that intense sweetness even surpases an addiction to cocaine (1). Our current food system is packed full of added sugars.

If you start paying close attention to food labels, you will find an excessive amount of unnecessary added sugar in everything from salad dressings to barbecue sauce to flavored yogurt to sports drinks. It’s very easy to over-consume sugar.

We know that added sugars cause weight gain, raise blood sugars, and increase risk of chronic diseases. Because of this, many people turn to using artificial sweeteners. The best of both worlds, right? Sweet flavor without all the calories….

But are artificial sweeteners actually good for us?

Artificial sweeteners (also referred to as sugar substitutes) are non-caloric or low-caloric food additives that provide a sweet taste. Most are synthetically produced.

Six artificial sweeteners are approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, acesulfame potassium, neotame, and advantame. Two plant-based sweeteners are...

When you start following a Keto Diet or a Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet, the first step is to create an arsenal of recipes. You need to have a list of reliable Keto/LCHF food blogs to help you stay on track.

For a quick review, a ketogenic diet typically contains a total of 20-30 grams of carbs a day, a moderate amount of protein, and then the rest of your intake is all fat. For a LCHF diet, aim for no more than 100 grams of carbs each day.

For example, someone following a 2000 calorie keto diet would eat 25 grams of carbs (5%), 100 grams of protein (20%), and 165 grams of fat (75%) each day.

If you’re following a LCHF 2000 calorie diet, this might look like 100 grams of carbs (20%), 100 grams of protein (20%), and 135 grams of fat (60%) each day.

Of course your carb intake can be anywhere between 20-100 grams of carbs a day. Try to keep protein intake around 20% to 25% and then the remainder of your calories will be from fat.  

You can browse these blogs to find recipes that sound appealing to you. Print off the recipes you like and then use those to plan your weekly menus and grocery shopping list. Planning your weekly...

Sugar alcohols are naturally occurring, sweet-tasting carbohydrates. They are often used in place of sugar (sucrose) in food products and recipes to reduce calories and the glycemic response.  

There are many different types of sugar alcohols: mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, lactitol, maltitol, isomalt, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH). They are easy to identify on food labels as most end in “-itol”. Make note that xylitol is toxic to dogs (1).

When you come across sugar alcohols, you will find that they look very similar to regular sugar. Sugar alcohols are water-soluble, white crystals. But they are not as sweet as actual sucrose. You can purchase sugar alcohols for home use at natural food stores or online.      

Some fruits and vegetables do naturally contain sugar alcohols. Industrially produced sugar alcohols, for example mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol, can be derived from the hydrogenation of sugar (adding two hydrogen atoms). Erythritol is made from fermenting sucrose and glucose (2).

The body does not completely absorb sugar alcohols, which is why they have a lower calorie content than sucrose and...

It’s no wonder that consumers are confused about healthy eating. If you Google search “healthy eating”, you’ll get results on anything from vegetarian diets to the USDA guidelines to paleo diets to the Mediterranean diet to the outdated food pyramid.  

Nutrition is such a broad topic. All the available information can be overwhelming and often even seems to contradict itself.  How do you know what foods are actually healthy?

The easiest way to eat healthy is to focus on eating protein and vegetables. That’s it! I think we often make healthy eating overcomplicated. It shouldn’t be that hard to eat healthy!

The most basic healthy eating food rules are:

• Fill you plate with protein and vegetables

• Include some natural fats

• Keep your carbohydrate portions small

• Limit junk food and sugar

• Drink lots of water

When you’re preparing your meals, think about the different components that will end up on your plate. Are you including a high quality protein with breakfast, lunch, and dinner? What about snacks? How many servings of vegetables are you eating every day? How many fruits do you eat? Do you eat carbohydrates by...

Probiotics have been in the nutrition spotlight for quite some time, but many people are still confused about whether or not they need to take them. Probiotics are beneficial, live microorganisms that reside in our digestive tracts (1).

People take probiotics for a wide variety of reasons. Research is starting to show that having the right balance of healthy probiotics can boost the immune system, help with weight loss, improve gut health, and even affect mood (2).

Probiotics are most often taken to improve gastrointestinal (GI) health. Gut issues such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating, or diarrhea are some of the most common reasons for doctor office visits and taking a probiotic may help improve GI symptoms (3).  

Yogurt is the most commonly consumed probiotic food. Many people also take probiotics in supplement form. But how do you know if your yogurt is a good source of probiotics or if the supplement you’re taking has actual live cultures? What about the kombucha or kefir you drink once a week?

Does taking a supplement or eating foods naturally containing probiotics alter our gut microbes? We know that our gut microbes...

If you’re thinking about starting the Carnivore Diet, you might be a little worried about the lack of fiber. Well, the complete nonexistence of fiber in the diet. The Carnivore diet has zero grams of fiber. And even if you’re doing a strict keto diet, you might not always be consuming the recommended 25-30 grams of daily fiber intake. You certainly won’t be consuming any (whole) grains on a keto diet.

You’ve most likely read articles touting the health benefits of fiber. You’ve seen headlines proclaiming that dietary fiber is beneficial for multiple health conditions. Fiber is supposed to help reduce risk of heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer, improve constipation, and even help with weight loss.

So the question is whether or not you actually you need 25-30 grams of fiber each day.

It is estimated that the average American consumes about 16 grams of fiber a day (1). And that fiber is not likely coming from vegetables. Current recommendations are to aim for 25-30 grams of fiber daily (2).      

While it is widely accepted that a high fiber intake improves overall health, there is research showing no benefits of a high fiber...

When you decide to reduce your carb and sugar intake to start following a Keto or Low Carb, High Fat (LCHF) Diet, you might find that you still crave dessert from time to time. It’s perfectly normal to still want to have a few treats here and there. What’s even better is finding treats that still keep you on track with your Keto or LCHF diet. 

Nui Cookies was created in 2016 by Kristoffer and Victor. They both cut sugar out of their diets but still craved cookies. So they went to work creating “the world’s best tasting low carb cookie”. They are “on a...

If you follow food trends in the Paleo/Keto/LCHF world, you’ve probably come across the Carnivore Diet. The Carnivore Diet is exactly what it sounds like….all meat! You eat only meat. And maybe some animal products like dairy and eggs. But no plants, which means no vegetables, no fruit, no grains, and no legumes.

At first, the Carnivore Diet sounds a little crazy, right? How can you only eat meat? Will you be missing out on nutrients from vegetables? What about fiber? Is eating only meat sustainable? Will you get bored?

There are several reasons why a person might decide to follow a Carnivore Diet. For a lot of people, it’s because nothing else has worked.  

Most often, it seems people end up doing the Carnivore diet because of chronic gastrointestinal (GI) issues, an autoimmune condition, or even sometimes just to experiment. People with GI issues, like Irritable Bowel Disease (IBS), get so fed up trying to figure out what foods trigger their symptoms, that they end up trying an all meat diet. And guess what? They usually thrive.

The Carnivore Diet is not for everyone though. Not everyone who decides to try the Carnivore...

Another great thing about the keto cups is that they are not sweet, which I love! The richness of the coconut butter with the slight bitterness of the cocao makes for a delicious treat on its own. But pair it with Killer Whey!’s Cocoa You Know Keto Ice Cream and you have an exquisite keto dessert.

I froze the Keto Cups before chopping them. Actually, I keep all of my chocolate and treats stashed away in the...

Basic meal planning can be a challenging task for many people. In fact, following a specific meal plan for a Keto Diet or a Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) Diet can feel like a daunting task, especially when you’re first starting the diet.  

Honestly, most people find meal planning overwhelming and that’s why it’s difficult to stick with dietary changes. We easily tend to revert back to our old eating habits.

But meal planning doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, implementing a Keto Diet or a LCHF Diet can be one of the easiest eating plans you’ll ever follow. For a quick review, a Keto Diet includes 20-30 grams of carbohydrates a day and a LCHF diet will have 100 grams of carbohydrates a day or less. Use an app like MyFitnessPal to track your carb intake when you’re first starting a Keto or LCHF diet.

When planning meals for a Keto or LCHF Diet, focus on following these basic guidelines:

• Eat two to three meals a day.

• Include one snack if needed.

• Eat 3-4 ounces (20-30 grams) of protein with meals.

• Include non-starchy vegetables with meals.

• Eat fat!

• Avoid starchy foods like bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, crackers,...

To make the cookies you’ll need:

• Full-fat cream cheese

• Butter

• Erythritol

• Pumpkin puree

• Eggs

• Almond flour

• Pumpkin spice

• Vanilla extract

• Salt

That’s it! The recipe makes about 42 cookies but you can easily half it if you don’t want that many cookies…. (who would do that, though?)....

To make your own real pumpkin spice mixture, you’ll need the...

Have you ever eaten peaches and cream? Heavy cream poured over fresh peaches. The peaches with the skin peeled off and thinly sliced. There’s nothing better, except maybe fresh peaches with Killer Whey! Keto Ice Cream. To be honest, it took some serious self-control not to eat the entire pint of vanilla keto ice cream with the peaches. It’s so good.

If you’re following a low carb high fat diet or a keto diet, you’ve probably learned that there’s not much room for fruit in your diet. I don’t eat much fruit. I focus more on eating...

Keto Brownies remind me a little bit of a Lara Bar but with much more protein and way less carbs. Keto Brownies have 196 calories, 13 grams of fat, 9 grams of protein, and 6 grams of net carbs. Erythritol and Monk Fruit Extract are used as the sweeteners. The protein blend consists of whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate, and sunflower lecithin. There are also 12 grams of fiber per brownie.

You can purchase Keto Brownies on their website. They also have Keto Blondie Brownies. Yum! I...

One of the main concerns people have about the ketogenic diet is the amount of fat. How can eating 70-80% of your calories from fat be healthy? Isn’t all that fat going to clog your arteries? Doesn’t eating fat make you gain weight? And isn’t obesity linked to heart disease? What about all that saturated fat?  

But what does the research say? Below are summaries of three studies that examined fat and heart disease.  

A 2004 randomized, controlled trial compared the effects of a low carbohydrate, keto diet program to a low-fat, low-cholesterol, reduced-calorie diet program in 120 overweight volunteers with high cholesterol levels. Those on the low carb diet were told to eat less than 20 grams of carbs a day, given some nutritional supplements, recommended to exercise, and attended group meetings. The low fat group was instructed to eat less than 30% of their calories from fat, less than 300 mg of cholesterol daily, and attended group meetings for 24 weeks. The study tracked the participants: weight, body composition, lipid levels, and diet tolerability.

Conclusion: Of all the participants, 76% of the low carb...

You’ve likely heard that carbohydrates are necessary for the body to use as energy. You might have even heard that your brain needs 130 grams of carbohydrates a day to function. When you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into glucose and your cells use glucose for energy. But what if you’re following a low carb or keto diet and are eating less than 130 grams of carbs a day?

Note that glucose is the easiest fuel for the body to use. It is the quickest source of energy. The body will always revert to burning glucose for fuel when it’s available. When you’re regularly consuming carbohydrates, the body relies on carbs and glucose for energy.

The body also stores glucose in the form of glycogen. Your liver stores 100-120 grams of glycogen and can release glucose for the brain to use as energy and to keep blood sugars stable. Your muscles store 400-500 grams of glycogen, but the body cannot break down muscle glycogen for glucose for the brain. Muscle glycogen is for muscles.  

When you are following a low carb or ketogenic diet, the body adapts to burning fat for fuel. The fat the body burns for fuel is...

Can athletes be successful on a keto diet? Can a triathlon thrive on a diet with only 20 grams of carbs a day? You’ve most likely heard that carbohydrates are necessary for energy, so how can you run a marathon without eating carbs. You’ve read about endurance athletes carb loading before events. You’ve seen the all the gels they take during races. How can an athlete consume the majority of their calories from fat and be successful?

Several recent studies have examined the ketogenic diet and athletes. While these are small studies, they have shown that athletes, even endurance athletes, can be successful on the keto diet or a low carb, high fat diet.

A 2017 study of twenty male endurance athletes who normally ate a carbohydrate-based diet, self-selected either a high-carb diet (n=11, 65%CHO /14%PRO /20%FAT) or low carb, keto diet (n=9, 6%CHO /17%PRO /77%FAT). Both groups went through the same training: endurance, strength, and HIIT. The athletes followed the diet for 12 weeks and then completed body composition assessment, 100 km time trial, six second sprint, and critical power test. During the post-intervention...

The crust is extremely easy to make, easier than a flour pie crust. This is the ultimate fool-proof pie crust. It is pre-baked. You wouldn’t need to prebake the...

To make these low carb keto cinnamon maple toasted coconut pecans, you will need:

• Whole Pecans

• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

• Cinnamon

• Real Maple Syrup

• Vanilla

• Egg Whites

• Salt

Once you have your ingredients assembled, you whisk the eggs until frothy then add in everything except the pecans and coconut. Fold in the pecans and coconut last. Then place on a baking sheet...

You can use real pumpkin or canned pumpkin to make this keto pumpkin pie.  The original recipe calls for fresh pumpkin but I made it with canned pumpkin because I wanted to keep the recipe super simple.

To make this keto pumpkin pie you will need:

• Canned pumpkin puree

• Heavy whipping cream

• Butter

• Vanilla

• Salt

• Pumpkin pie spice

• Coconut flour

• Baking Powder

• Lemon...

Are you following a Keto or Low Carb Diet and worried about staying on track over Thanksgiving? If the answer is “yes”, keep reading for some tips and tricks on "How to Survive Thanksgiving on a Keto Diet."

If you usually go for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, your table will likely be overflowing with high carb foods. On a Keto or Low Carb Diet, you’ll have to say “no” to the mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, rolls, and pie. Sounds pretty horrible, doesn’t it? No leftover pie for breakfast. No making sandwiches with leftover rolls and turkey. But it doesn't have to be that way!

Don’t get discouraged because you can easily stick to a Keto or Low Carb Diet over Thanksgiving by following these guidelines:

#1 Mindset. Make up your mind that you’re going to stay on track with the Keto/Low Carb Diet. Once you’ve officially made this decision, it will be easier. Accept your choice to avoid the carbs. Don’t let anyone pressure you into eating large servings of carb-heavy foods. Depending on your carb goals, you might eat a few bites here and there of mashed potatoes, a roll, or...

Hopefully you read Keto Diet, Fat and Heart Disease (Part One) and are here because you want more evidence that the amount of fat in the ketogenic diet is not going to increase your risk of heart disease. If you haven’t read Part One, go read it now and then read this article.

For years, recommendations have been to follow a low fat diet. One of the concerns people have about following a ketogenic diet is the amount of fat they will be eating. It’s completely opposite current recommendations. The keto diet is 75-80% of calories from fat.

But what does the research say? Does eating more fat increase your risk of heart disease?

A 2003 study was conducted to determine whether a diet high in saturated fat and low in starch would result in weight loss without having adverse effect on serum lipids in obese nondiabetic patients. This study included 23 obese patients with cardiovascular disease and lasted for six weeks.

Conclusion: All patients in the study lost weight and there were not adverse effects on serum lipid levels (1).  

A 2015 randomized, controlled trial examined the effects of a low carb diet versus a...