ited States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the average American eats between 13 and 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day (230 calories for women, 335 for men). That’s way too much. Here are four simple ways to avoid extra sugars this holiday season:



Shop on the Perimeter of the Grocery Store. The aisles on the edges of your grocery store are the ones with the least-processed food. That’s where you’ll find vegetables, fruit, dairy, meat and seafood, most of which is free of added sugar.

Read Food Labels. Ingredient listings on packaged food list the ingredients in order of volume. The higher up you see sugar listed, the more sugar that’s included in that food. Look for food that contains little to no sugar. You’ll have to look hard: sugar is ubiquitous in our food supply.

Learn Sugar’s Other Names. Pretty much anything ending in “-ose” is a sugar. And whether it’s fructose, glucose or sucrose, it will end up as a sugar in your body. Avoid them.

Buy Unsweetened Foods. Look for food labels that say the food is unsweetened. Not “naturally sweetened.” Unsweetened. That means there won’t be anything lurking in there that could throw you off.

Really need to satisfy that sugary craving?

Click here to check out the best Nutrisystem sweet treats for a healthier way to get your fix >

The post How to Cut Back on Sugar appeared first on The Leaf.

oss. And although further research is certainly warranted in this area, there’s certainly no harm in adding these scents to your life. What’s the worst thing that could happen? You have awesome scents wafting through your home?

Here are our seven favorite scents for weight loss:

1. PEPPERMINT

The science: Study participants were asked to sniff peppermint oil every two hours for five days, according to a report published in the medical journal Appetite. For the next five days, they sniffed a placebo. The subjects consumed 1,800 fewer calories during the time when they were exposed to the scent of peppermint than when they were exposed to the placebo.

How to use it: You can put peppermint oil—available in many grocery and drug stores—in an aromatherapy diffuser or burn a candle made with real essential oils. Even easier, brew yourself a cup of mint tea when you feel hungry between meals. You can just hold it in your hands and inhale, but don’t hesitate to sip it—the tea has zero calories and it even helps soothe your digestive system.






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2. OLIVE OIL

The science: At the German Research Center for Food Chemistry, study participants ate yogurt that had added olive oil, butter, lard or canola oil as a supplement to their normal diet. The subjects who had the olive oil-infused yogurt reported the strongest feelings of fullness. Although scientists weren’t surprised, considering that olive oil has fatty acids that create the sense of satisfied appetite, they were surprised that those eating the canola oil (which has the same fatty acids) reported feeling less full. Even more shocking, though? In a follow-up study, the scientists compared the appetites of subjects eating yogurt enhanced with just the smell of olive oil to those eating plain yogurt. Even without the oil’s fats, those eating the aroma-enhanced yogurt consumed fewer calories throughout the day than the control group, and had more serotonin—a chemical associated with satiety—in their blood.

How to use it: Olive oil (actually, all cooking oils) is categorized as an Extra on the Nutrisystem program, because while oils are full of healthy fats, they are also high in calories, so you should be careful to have no more than the recommended serving of one to three teaspoons in your daily diet. Give your salad a spritz or two of olive oil from a spray bottle—that’s enough to give you a healthy whiff and bring out the flavor in the vegetables.






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3. STRAWBERRY

The science: When 27 subjects were exposed to the scent of strawberries before drinking sweetened milk, they reported feeling more satisfied after the drink than when they weren’t presented with the fruit’s aroma, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition. The strawberry scent also diminished the study participants desire for sweets.

How to use it: When you feel a strong craving for sweets, slice up a few strawberries and eat them. If the fruit isn’t in season, add thawed frozen berries to a smoothie or hot cereal. Strawberry isn’t just one of the great scents for weight loss, it’s also one of our favorite fruit options!






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4. GRAPEFRUIT

The science: The scent of limonene, a component of grapefruit oil, activated fat-burning in laboratory animals, says a study published in the journal Neuroscience Letters. The aroma works, the researchers theorize, by stimulating the sympathetic nerve system, which tells your body to burn fat. They determined that 15 minutes of exposure to the oil three times a week reduced the subjects’ food intake and body weight.

How to use it: You can eat whole grapefruit, a SmartCarb that is high in fiber and other nutrients. Most of the limonene, however, is in the rind. Squeeze a piece of skin gently to infuse the air or a glass of water with the colorless oil. You can also buy limonene or simple citrus oil to use in an aromatherapy diffuser.






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5. VANILLA

The science: In a study at St. George’s Hospital in London, England, 200 overweight people wore skin patches with one of a few different aromas on the back of their hands for two weeks. Those wearing patches with vanilla consumed fewer sugary foods and beverages than the people with patches containing other scents. The subjects in the vanilla-patch group also lost an average of 4.5 pounds during the study period.

How to use it: Many perfumes and other fragrance products contain vanilla, so you can dab a bit on and sniff it throughout the day. Vanilla extract is a low-calorie, fat-free flavoring that you can add to hot cereal, smoothies and other foods. It’s versatility makes vanilla one of our absolute favorite scents for weight loss.






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6. JASMINE

The science: A group of 67 women in a study reported in the journal Appetite were shown colorful photographs of chocolate desserts. They were then asked to breathe in one of three odors—green apple, jasmine or water. The group sniffing jasmine reported significantly lower chocolate cravings than the people in the other two groups.

How to use it: Jasmine is a beautiful plant with fragrant white flowers. You can grow it inside your home or workplace and take a whiff whenever you’re craving chocolate. Or, buy a jasmine soap or candle. You can also buy jasmine essential oil at drugstores or health food shops and use it in an aromatherapy diffuser. There are also countless jasmine tea varieties out there. Brew a bit pot and you won’t just enjoy your whole home becoming filled with one our favorite scents for weight loss… you’ll get a tasty zero-calorie drink out of it, too!






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7. LAVENDER

The science: Lavender has long been used as a natural remedy for stress, which is a common cause of eating when you’re not hungry. In a study published in the journal Archives of Oral Biology, researchers documented that the scent of the herb reduced stress among students solving complex arithmetic problems. Those that were exposed to airborne organic essential oil of lavender had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva than the control group.

How to use it: Add a few drops of lavender oil to your bath to soothe your nerves and ward off cravings. You can also find lavender-scented soaps and skin creams that envelop you in its lightly floral fragrance all day. This is one of our favorite scents for weight loss since it’s versatile and comes in many forms!

The post Ready, Set, Sniff! 7 Scents That Could Help with Weight Loss appeared first on The Leaf.

ool for the summer, I realized how much I depended on using my spin bike for at-home cardio. It’s been way too hot to run outside, and sometimes making it to the gym isn’t going to happen since it doesn’t offer childcare.

After using the Peloton app on my phone for over a year (I propped my phone or the iPad on my old bike and streamed classes through the app), I bit the bullet and bought a bike. (<— This post isn’t sponsored in any way. I have zero affiliation with Peloton, even though in my dream world, I teach for them.)

Now that I’ve been able to use it a handful of times, I thought I’d post my review and pros/cons. So many people have asked if it’s worth buying the bike, so here’s my full review:

Set-up and installation:

– The set-up and installation were a breeze because I didn’t have to do any of it! When you purchase the bike, it includes set-up and installation. The guys were insanely fast; you can tell they’ve had experience putting these bikes together.

I decided to put a mat under the bike so it doesn’t damage the floor. For the spin shoes, I took them to a local cycling shop and they installed the clips for me. 

– You turn the bike on, log into internet, and boom. You’re ready to ride! They also have helpful videos online for how to set-up the bike for your preferences and height.

Peloton bundle package:

– I ended up getting the bundle package for free (military), so it came with shoes, headphones, and weights. (I rolled with the 2lb. since I have a 3-lb. pair already.) You absolutely need the shoes for the bike, so I think it’s worth getting the bundle package. 



How to clean the bike:

– This is something I obsessed over for the first day – I wanted to take good care of it! – and after tons of research, I bought these natural gym equipment wipes and these touch screen wipes. They’re both amazing and I highly recommend them. I use the lavender wipes after every ride and clean the touch screen every 2-3 classes. 



Subscription:

When I had the app on my phone, it was $12 a month. When you purchase a bike, the price jumps ($39/month) but you can still use the app on your phone for the extra treadmill, bootcamp, yoga, and stretch classes. I feel like it’s a little bit of a bummer that the subscription is more expensive if you own a bike (like hey buddy, I already gave you a decent amount of money) but after taking live classes, I feel like it’s worth it. They add so many new classes each day that the variety is unlike anything I’d be able to get at a local studio, especially for $39/month.



The classes:

The classes are the same ones I fell in love with over a year ago. I have zero negative feedback for Peloton and think the classes are safe, fun, functional, and the instructors are amazing. The only bonus now is that I can see what the instructors’ faces look like, since they’re not squished onto my tiny phone screen. (Aaaand I get better viewing of DJ John Michael’s killer dance moves.) 

Using the Peloton bike vs. another spin bike + the app:

The huge question here is whether I think it’s worth getting a less expensive spin bike and using the app (on your phone or tablet), or if I think it’s worth biting the bullet to buy the actual Peloton bike. Before I owned one, I thought it would be a tough call, but after using the bike for the past couple of weeks, the Peloton wins by a landslide. That’s largely attributed to 3 features: the live classes, instant feedback, and the leaderboard. 

– You can jump into live classes, which really gives you the feel of being in the studio. It’s pretty incredible to ride with a powerhouse instructor and Peloton fans in the NYC studio and all over the world. 

– Instant feedback and stats. This is what really takes the bike to the next level. On the screen, you can see your cadence, resistance, and output. The screen was broken off my last spin bike during the move. I was going by RPE, and found out that I wasn’t working nearly as hard as I thought I was. The real-time stats were an interesting reality check for me, and also encouraged me to really push myself on speed and resistance. Your position on the leaderboard is determined by output (in kilojoules and is a combination of resistance and speed). 



– The leaderboard. Through the leaderboard, you can compete against those who have already taken the class or those who are taking it right then with you. You can also hide the leaderboard if you’re not feeling like competing that day. They track your PR for each type of ride, so you’re also competing against your personal best each time. I’ve found that the leaderboard makes me work extremely hard. I always want to pass people that are ahead of me and stay on top of my PR. I LOVE the competitive edge of it and found that it was something I needed to take my workouts to the next level. (Hack: when they’re doing weights, I use that as an opportunity to crank up the resistance and speed and pass a bunch of people. Muahaha.)

– The only con I can think of is the fact that the bike takes up a decent amount of space. You definitely need to have room in a guest room or office. It does roll, so you could also hide it in a larger closest if you ever had guests or needed to move it.



So I think that covers everything! Please let me know if you have any questions about it!

Do you have a home gym? What do you think has been your most important investment for your health? 

xo

Gina

The post Full Peloton Bike Review (Is it worth it?) appeared first on The Fitnessista.

vegetables, chances are, he can leave us doubly stupefied with his take on grilled ribeye.


 

“This, my friends, is a worthy dish to splurge on. Get a well-marbled rib-eye, the ripest tomatoes, and super soft blue cheese and let the artistry of each ingredient speak for itself,” he writes in the book. “I know it sounds a little like an entrée and two sides, but it’s really a ‘meat and three’ when you consider the deeply roasted grains in the beer.”

Now, as any steak aficionado knows, a ribeye mandates a good beer. Chef Dulye’s picks? The Butcher from Societe Brewing Company, Virginia Black Bear from Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, or Shotgun Wedding via Country Boy Brewing. “Usually you see a side of starch (e.g. fried or mashed potatoes) with such a hearty cut of meat, but in this case, the beer acts as part of the trio, standing up to the beefiness of this cut, the acidity of the tomatoes, and the saltiness of the cheese, rounding out this dish into a complete meal,” Dulye notes.

But don’t take his word for it — fire up the grill.

Copyright | Reprinted from The Beer Pantry: Cooking at the Intersection of Craft Beer and Great Food by Adam Dulye with Michael Harlan Turkell. Copyright © 2018 by W&P. Published by Dovetail Press.

Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Heirloom Tomatoes and Little Gem Salad