Blog Posts by The Editors of EatingWell Magazine

By Wendy Ruopp, Managing Editor of EatingWell

I think it's a happy coincidence that January is not only national soup month, but also the peak of people's efforts to lose weight. Research shows that soups can help you lose weight: in one study, published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, people consumed the fewest calories on days when they ate soup rather than the same ingredients in solid form. Soup has a high water content, which can help you feel full. Broth-based soups packed with veggies give you the biggest bang for your caloric buck. And, just like salad, soup is a good vehicle for vegetables (the fiber in vegetables also promotes feelings of fullness for few calories). And in a study published in Appetite, people who started lunch with vegetable soup ended up eating 20 percent less than those who skipped the soup.

Don't Miss: Top 5 Best Foods for Weight Loss (and 5 That Make You Gain)
5 Ingredients of a Get-Skinny Dinner

In the January issue of EatingWell

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D., Nutrition Editor, EatingWell Magazine

Did you know that one-third of New Year's resolutions pertain to weight, diet and health? It's true. Unfortunately, the majority of us are successful for no more than one week. You're 10 times as likely to keep your healthy-eating resolutions, however, when you set an explicit goal--like, say, by following a meal plan.

Related: Lose Up to 2 Pounds This Week with This Meal Plan

Start your weight-loss resolution off on the right foot--and successfully lose weight--using this 1,500-calorie meal plan (a calorie level that most people will lose weight on). If you want to be even more precise, click here to find out how many calories you need to eat to lose weight.

A Sample 1,500-Calorie Day of Meals:

Breakfast
6 oz. nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 cup blueberries
1 medium banana
Calories = 289

Don't like this breakfast idea? You can find more ideas for breakfasts under 350

By EatingWell Editors

Trying to get the most nutritional bang for your buck out of each food you eat? "Superfoods" are foods that are far more plentiful in nutrients than they are in calories and that research has shown deliver health benefits. You're probably already eating a lot of everyday superfoods--like bananas, eggs and broccoli--and maybe even some exotic ones (acai, anyone?).

Don't Miss: 12 Superfoods for $1 or Less

But what about the power-packed foods filled with good-for-you vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting phytochemicals you aren't eating? Rather than rattling off a laundry list of every fiber-rich, antioxidant-packed, vitamin-saturated food, EatingWell's food and nutrition experts focused on this list of the 7 healthiest foods you can add to your diet that you've likely missed the boat on eating, especially on a regular basis.

1. Kale
On top of delivering a raft of cancer-fighting antioxidants, kale is one of the vegetable world's top sources of

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

I love hanging out with my friends, but I used to avoid throwing parties at my house mostly because I couldn't justify the expense. You have to buy food, booze and make your house look festive. And it all adds up pretty quickly. (Bah! Humbug!) But I can't expect to be invited anywhere if I can't (or don't) return the favor! So how can I have my fun and throw a party that doesn't bust my budget? I'm going to challenge myself to throw a party for only $25. Can it be done? With a little ingenuity, the answer is yes. Here's how:

1. Dilute the Booze
OK, so the most expensive part of throwing a party is buying alcohol. It can add up pretty quickly. Instead of serving your guests the cheapest wine or beer available, consider making a mixed drink. Preferably one that calls for just a little bit of booze mixed with other ingredients (not a martini, for example). A spiced wine punch with plenty of fruit or hot apple cider

By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor, EatingWell Magazine

Fad diets and the latest trendy fitness classes can be pricy. But you don't actually need to drop big bucks in order to lose weight. Try these 9 tricks to lose weight sensibly and save money at the same time.

1. Plan to Cook at Home
Instead of buying costly prepared meals, which often tend to be high in calories, cook your own at home. With a few good recipes and a shopping list, you can make your own delicious low-calorie meals. According to one study, planning out your meals for the whole day really does help you lose weight. High-fiber foods like beans and whole grains, cooked from scratch, will keep you full and are a cheaper, healthier alternative to not-so-lean proteins and more-processed grains.

Must-Read: 7-Day Budget-Friendly Dinner Plan & Shopping List

2. Take the Guesswork Out of Portion Control
Some weight-loss programs work because they pre-portion meals for you. Studies

By Wendy Ruopp, Managing Editor of EatingWell

We're so busy at this time of year, between work and parties and shopping, that it's awfully tempting to pick up takeout on the way home and call dinner done. But for me, that just adds to the feeling that I'm not doing all I could to eat healthfully and joyfully, reducing stress and overprocessed food. Trying to keep the household budget under control is important right now too. (Can you tell I'm working up to renewing my New Year's resolutions?)

Here's budget help: 7-Day Budget-Friendly Menu Plan & Shopping List
Here's quick-dinner help: Barbecued Pork Sandwiches and More 20-Minute Dinner Recipes

Once I've made myself pass up takeout from the local Chinese restaurant, though, I'm still in the mood for Chinese takeout. So I'll make a speedy stop at the store for pork tenderloin and bean sprouts to make this easy, fast and satisfying Pork Chop Suey (pictured above). It'll be ready in 30 minutes--it couldn't have been delivered

By Wendy Ruopp, Managing Editor of EatingWell

Just in the last few months, two or three new artisanal steak restaurants have opened in town. I'm usually the last to know that something is trendy, catching on just as it goes from cool to cliché--but even I can notice that locally sourced steak is a hot food trend right now. A hot and expensive trend. Happily married as I am, thinking about going to a nice restaurant for a fancy steak dinner makes me wish I were still dating (it's not as much fun when you have to pay for both dinners: "Oh, I'm not that hungry--I'll just have a salad.")

Don't Miss: Download a FREE Budget Dinner Recipe Cookbook!

It may not be as trendy to eat dinner at home, but the EatingWell Test Kitchen's revelatory new recipe for Seared Steak with Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese Sauce makes it a whole lot cheaper than going out.

18 More Healthy Steak Recipes to Try
Blue Cheese Portobello Burgers and More Recipes with Blue Cheese

There are a couple

By Gretel H. Schueller, Contributing Writer for EatingWell

Camembert cheese and buttery croissants are staples of French cuisine, so you'd think France would be the last place where the government would police fat content in food. Yet, in an effort to reduce obesity, France's Senate recently approved an amendment to triple taxes on products containing one unhealthy fat in particular: palm kernel oil, which is extracted from the palm seed of palm oil trees. (The lower house of parliament still has to vote on the tax.)

Don't Miss: 7 of the Healthiest Foods You Should Be Eating (But Probably Aren't)

It turns out that palm oil is a major ingredient in one beloved treat in France: Nutella. The French, who love to smear the creamy hazelnut-chocolate spread on toast and crepes or just eat it with a spoon, account for 26 percent of world's Nutella consumption, according to French newspaper Le Monde. The proposed tax has incited outrage among Nutella lovers. As outrageous as the