Blog Posts by DietsInReview

By MarisCallahan - DietsInReview.com

Mixed drinks have a bad reputation for being chock full of empty calories and void of any and all nutrition. While wine, beer and cocktails certainly fall under the "occasional indulgence" category on the food pyramid, there are a few ways that you can add a little bit of nutrition to your glass, whether you're planning a cocktail party or enjoying a simple beverage to unwind after a long week.

So, what can you do to make your cocktails a little bit more substantial? Claire Smith, head of Spirit Creation & Mixology for Belvedere Vodka and 10 Cane Rum, offered some of her favorite tips to help us keep our cocktails slimmer without sacrificing taste or quality.

Add Egg White
Drinks that are shaken with egg white increase the viscosity of the drink and at the same time, add protein to a cocktail. "This will help keep you a little fuller when you're drinking cocktails," Smith said. Adding a little protein to your beverage may even curb the

By Maris Callahan - DietsInReview.com

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, it's hard not to crave chocolate. When you're feeling tempted to splurge on a treat but can't shake the guilt over ditching your new year's resolutions so soon, indulge in chocolate the healthy way.

Practice portion control: Chocolate is sometimes high in fat and calories, but most dietitians recommend eating less than one ounce of dark chocolate per day to reap maximum health benefits. A one-ounce piece of dark chocolate amounts to only 151 calories, with heart-healthy flavonoids that can help lower cholesterol, prevent certain cancers and improve overall health. That is, of course, if you eat it in moderation.

Stick to simple dark chocolate: Chocolate with more than 70% cacao content, also packaged as 'bittersweet chocolate,' is traditionally considered the healthiest option, as it contains less sugar and more antioxidants than milk chocolate or white chocolate. Avoid chocolate with added nuts, fruits or

By Carmen Staicer - DietsInReview.com

Do you love seeing how imaginative and creative some of America's biggest brands can become in those much-watched Super Bowl ads? While it's all an effort to get your attention and your extra money, did you notice that the foods and beverages featured in the Super Bowl commercials aren't healthy? We decided to look at how many calories a single serving of each Super Bowl advertiser's food and drink will set you back.

Doritos
One ounce of Doritos, about 12 to 14 chips, has 150 calories. And if you've ever had these cheese-dusted snacks, you know one serving is nearly impossible.

Coke and Pepsi
Soda is a dieter's worst nightmare, diet or otherwise. It's full of and caffeine, which our bodies just don't need. One ice-cold, 12-ounce can of Coke contains 143 calories, and one can of Pepsi contains 150 calories. If you're trying to lose weight, cutting this out of your diet should be priority one.

Bud Light
Beer is an empty calorie bomb, and while the

By Jennipher Walters, DietsInReview.com

If you're looking for a good date idea for Valentine's Day, why not forgo the busy restaurants and the decadent dishes and work out together instead? Going out for an active date not only helps you both burn some calories, it also can be a way to bond, get you both feeling good -- and it can provide ample opportunities for flirting and getting close.

1. Go for a jog. One of the best cardio activities you can do is run, so why not get with your honey and go for a jog? Pick a pretty area to run in and be sure to wear your cutest running gear. Try alternating three minutes of slow jogging with one minute at a faster pace. If you're the competitive type, you can even race during the faster intervals!

2. Have a private dance party. There can be nothing sexier than dancing. So pop in some of your shared favorite tunes and get your dance on. If you don't feel comfortable dancing or want to improve your moves, why not hire a private instructor for the

By Maggie Badore - DietsInReview.com

Last night, NBC finally let us in on the secret the two new mystery trainers for Biggest Loser. For more than a month they've been hidden silhouettes and sneaky camera angles, but then last night the faces of Cara Castronuova and Brett Hoebelwere revealed. They both seem to be good fits for the show, if not a breath of fresh fitness air to shake up a show in its eleventh season.

With Jillian Michaels leaving Biggest Loser at the end of this season, it was no doubt the perfect time to add new experts to the ranks.

So who are they?

Cara Castronuova is a certified personal trainer with a passion for boxing. She began to box at the age of five with her father, a former Marine. Castronuova grew up in Elmont, New York with three younger brothers. She wrestled throughout high school and college, and gradated with a bachelor of arts degree in communications from Hofstra University. She won her first boxing match in 2002, at the NY Empire State Games in

By Mathue Johnson and Brandi Koskie - DietsInReview.com

The quarterback position in football is one of the most important positions on the team, not unlike the mother of the family. She's often referred to as the "chief mom" or "director of domesticity" and like the quarterback she is in charge of running the offense. From calling plays ("clean your room!") and making sure each offensive players is lined up in the correct position (assigned seats in the car to avoid bickering) to reading the defense (those manipulative little smiles) and adjusting each play accordingly (reverse psychology!), the work is never done.

Similarly, a mom's work of running the household is never done. The quarterback has to be in tip-top shape since he is included in every play, whether it be handing the ball to the running-back, passing the ball to a receiver, scrambling in and out of the pocket to get away from defenders, or running for a first down or touchdown; the mother as well needs to be in tip-top

By Jennipher Walters - DietsInReview.com

Almost everyone is looking for ways to save money, which makes sense given the current economic situation. And cost is certainly a variable in our decision to find a diet. You can't put a price on good health, but it's still nice to reach those goals in a cost effective manner? Last week Yahoo! Shine shared an article from CNNMoneyWatch about the cost of losing 20 pounds. So we wondered, how much does it cost to lose 20 pounds on your own?

They compared several big-name commercial diet programs with costs upwards of $100 per pound lost! It should be no surprise that you can do this on your own, assuming that you are losing two pounds a week over the course of 10 weeks, at about half the price.

Gym Membership: Prices certainly vary throughout the country, $50 almost anywhere will buy you a monthly membership to a quality health club. Over three months, that's $150 and should come with unlimited access to all the club's amenities, like weights,

By Theresa DeLay and Brandi Koskie - DietsInReview.com

We probably all woke yesterday confident in who we are. But by the time we went to bed last night, there were identity crises far and wide. Many find the astrological zodiac signs to be a humorous way to start your day, others find it to be the root of who they are. So when it was announced yesterday that the zodiac calendar had been rearranged, people were left asking themselves who they really were. Many laughed away the changes, but some people were really struck by the news angrily announcing that they're "still a Scorpio!" or "I'm a Taurus and I'll never change!"

ABC News ran a story that said this isn't exactly new news, it's about 3,000 years old. From the story, "Astronomers have known about this since 130 BC. Hipparchus was able to determine that this would happen," says Parke Kunkle, a board member of the Minnesota Planetarium Society, the organization responsible for announcing the news. "It astounds me that this has