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    Dr. Ayala

    Dr. Ayala

  • 13 Lies Dieters Tell Themselves

    In time for the holiday season eating extravaganza here are a few common diet lies -- and how your better angel would react if he were awake. Feel free to add your own in the comment section.

  • Pediatricians Advise on Organic Food

    The American Academy of Pediatrics gathered the relevant research comparing organic foods to conventionally produced ones into a report that’s supposed to help doctors guide parents regarding food choices.

  • A Food Label that Isn’t a Dream

    In a recent opinion piece in the New York Times, Mark Bittman dreams about an improved food label. While a nutrition guiding system continues to be debated there are two information pieces still surprisingly missing from the nutrition panel itself.

  • The Unhappy Truth About Sugary Drinks

    Happiness in a bottle or a disease-promoting source of sadnes? The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) released a new animated film, repositioning soda and other sugary drinks as obesity and illness causes. Take a look.

  • Do Lots of Choices Make You Happy or Just Fat?

    There are 37,000 items in the average supermarket. How does that enormous choice affect you? Studies suggest that having many choices make us eat more, especially when the extra variety is from energy-dense, tempting foods.

  • Study Debunks Exercise as a Weight-loss Solution

    Does exercise help you shed weight? A new study finds that physical activity interventions have minimal impact on overall activity levels in kids, and that helps explain why exercise alone usually doesn’t lead to weight loss.

  • Three New Studies Add to the Case Against Sugary Drinks

    Many studies link sugary drink with obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. A fresh batch of studies adding further strong evidence was published last weekend, proving once again what we already know.

  • Who Should Be Living Gluten-free?

    Gluten-free foods have gone mainstream and perfectly healthy people are opting to eat gluten-free foods, believing they're better for you. Is this really going to improve our nutrition?

  • Crunchy Crispy Kale & Fresh Herb Salad with Miso Dressing

    Love kale? You'll love this recipe: It combines my two favorite kale preparations: raw, very thinly sliced and baked to crunchy kid-friendly chips.

  • Is Organic Food Healthier? New Study Fuels the Debate

    A new widely publicized study looks at the nutritional differences between organic and conventionally grown foods, and asks the question: Is organic better?

  • Energy Drinks Under Investigation: Are They Healthy or Dangerous?

    The Wall Stree Journal reported this week that New York's attorney general is investigating whether the booming energy-drink industry is deceiving consumers. Are there real benefits in these drinks and are they safe?

  • Changing Just 2 Habits Can Make a Big Difference

    Habits – good and bad ones -- tend to cluster. An ideal plan for better health would involve just one or two guidelines that could cause a chain reaction of positive behavior changes. Study reveals the best instructions for change that lasts.

  • Study Shows Huge Rise in Teen Diabetes and Pre-diabetes

    A new article in Pediatrics found that diabetes and pre-diabetes nearly tripled among teens in just 9 years. On top of that, many teens have other cardiovascular risk factors – risk factors that can be mitigated or reversed by a healthier lifestyle.

  • Do Rules Limiting the Sale of Junk-food at School Work?

    Do rules restricting the sale of low nutritious value foods (i.e. junk food) at school affect kids’ intake? A new study compares kids from schools with strict rules, to kids in schools that have none.

  • Parents: Put Those Fruits and Veggies a Little Closer

    Food makers know that the closest, easiest to grab, and most noticeable food items will sell more. Could proximity and visibility promote good-for-you foods just as well?

  • Are Preschoolers Getting Their Daily Dose of Outdoors?

    Experts say that free play - especially outdoors - is crucial to a kid's health and obesity prevention, but chances to play outside have been on the decline for decades. Busy lives, anxiety about safety, TV and lack of awareness are keeping kids indoors.

  • Can We Blame Our Habits for Making Us Fat?

    We’d like to think we’re free to make choices about our everyday life. But studies show that almost half of the actions people take each day aren’t actually a result of decisions – they’re driven by habit alone.

  • A Belly-fighting Tip That's for Real

    Not all body fat is created equal: Belly fat is especially risky to your health. Can we affect where we deposit our fat, and does the kind of food we eat determine body shape? A new study found that fiber may be the ultimate flat belly food. Read on

  • Moms Oversharing Their Kids’ Most Personal Stories

    The mommysphere was abuzz over Dara-Lynn Weiss' Vogue article (pictures & all) detailing her effort to get her 7-year-old to lose weight. A few days later in the NY Times another mom detailed her girl's early puberty signs -- full identity disclosed.

  • Do Nutrition Labels Confuse You? You're Not Alone!

    A new study showed that among a group of well-educated young adults the average score in food label comprehension is a ‘D’. Why is the label so confusing, and what can be done to improve this much-needed healthy eating tool?