• Corned Beef & Cabbage

• Emerald Eggs
• Guacamole
• Garlic Spiked Broccoli With Cranberries
• Green Goddess Dip
• Green Beer

Overview
Debuting in 2004, The Biggest Loser has become a huge hit reality show. If you caught it back when it premiered or have only seen an episode or two, it may have taken a second to get what the show was really about. At first, you probably just saw a dozen or so morbidly obese people wearing skimpy clothes, working out and maybe fighting with each other (ahh reality TV!). Tune in over time and you’ll see everyday people, who weigh upwards of 300 to 400 pounds, busting their butts to lose weight (they track both pounds and total percentage weight loss) with the help of hardcore trainers and vigilant diet planning. Week by week, they keep getting slimmer!

To find out what exactly The Biggest Loser diet was about, I had to read the book (the website wasn’t much help with so many ads distracting me). The basic theory is an obvious one: You’ll lose weight by burning more calories (via exercise and daily activities) than you eat every day. To do this, you’ll need to count your calories — this includes weighing and measuring your food precisely. The BL website has good online resources to assist you with the numbers, but it does cost to join.

The diet plan suggests three meals and up to three snacks per day. The amount of calories and portions vary depending on your calorie needs. The meals are based on a 4-3-2-1 Biggest Loser Pyramid, which is comprised (from bottom to top) of at least four servings of fruits and veggies, three servings of protein, two servings of whole grains and 200 calories from the “Extras” category. How quickly you’ll lose weight is different for everyone, but they recommend around two pounds per week. If you’re a coach potato, you’ll need to dust off your walking shoes. Cardio, strength and resistance training are all an integral part of the overall plan.

Don’t get oversold by what you see on TV, however! I once sat in on a lecture a past contestant gave; he mentioned that the competitors spent many hours of the day working out. That’s nearly impossible to keep up with if you’re working a full-time job or have family obligations. He also mentioned that each contestant was closely monitored by a team of experts, including frequent visits by a medical doctor. Although you probably can’t copy exactly what’s going on in the TV show, cutting calories and getting your behind moving are definite steps in the right directions.

The Costs
If you want to follow The Biggest Loser plan online, be sure to have your credit card ready. Like many diet programs, they have ready-made foods. Home delivery of these meals go for $169.95 per week (this includes meals and snacks). If you want to cook on your own, you can — you’ll probably need their cookbooks and equipment such as blenders, Panini makers and steamers, so that’s more cost there.

Interested new members might want to pick up the $25 Online Subscription Card, which is sold at Target and gets you a two-month membership to The Biggest Loser Club online. This membership includes access to the diet and fitness programs used by contestants, interaction with the shows’ experts, message boards, personalized meal plans and recipes, customized fitness program and newsletter updates.

Don’t forget the exercise. You can join a gym and get a trainer, but the BL site also offers DVDs, music, video games and equipment. It just depends on how much you’re willing to spend.

For the hardcore fan (with even more money to spend), you can visit The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge in southern Utah. Here’s where you can get the closest experience to being on the TV show. The resort offers many fitness programs, including hiking, kickboxing and outdoor mountain cycling. All meals are developed by registered dietitians and chefs; there are also nutrition education classes. Fees are about $1,995 per week and $7,200 for a month.

The Good
- The diet plan is based on the USDA’s My Pyramid, emphasizing whole grains, fruit, veggies and lean meat.
- Exercise is highly recommended.
- Offers great online resources, including a customized diet plan.

The Not-So Good
- The online options can get very costly.
- You need to count calories (until you get used to portions).
- Sometimes suggested calories can get too low (less than 1,200 calories per day).

The Bottom Line:
Nothing like a hit TV show and seeing other people successfully lose weight to get you motivated! This plan introduces followers to a healthy lifestyle by promoting exercise, portion control and making healthy food choices (though I wish the site would tone down on the ads!). You don’t have to go all out like the TV show, but if you do opt to do this, try gathering a group of friends or co-workers together to follow the diet suggestions and have your own (friendly) Biggest Loser competition.

Read up on other diets:
• Cleansing Diets
• The Master Cleanse
• The Blood Type Diet
• The Mediterranean Diet
• The American Heart Association
• The Zone (a.k.a. 40-30-30)
• The Cookie Diet
• Weight Watchers
• Atkins
• Jenny Craig

TELL US: What do you think of The Biggest Loser (the show or the diet)?

Salmon With Guinness Mustard Glaze
NOTE: This glaze would be yummy on chicken, too!
Serve 8

• 2.5 pounds salmon, cut into fillets
• 2 tablespoons coarse-grained Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon regular Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Guinness stout (or other stout or porter beer)
• 1 teaspoon honey

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Arrange salmon fillets (skin side down) on a lined baking dish.  Spread the glaze on the salmon (enough to coat).  Bake for 8 minutes or until desired doneness.

Nutritional Info:
210 calories, 8.99 grams fat, 1.39 grams saturated fat, 28.13 grams protein, 1.89 grams carbohydrates, 77.96 milligrams cholesterol, 197 milligrams sodium, 0 grams fiber

Kale Mashed Potatoes
Serves 8

• 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 cups kale, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

Combine milk and garlic in a sauce pan. Warm to steep the garlic and then turn off and set aside (do not boil).

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan. Add shallot and sauté until light brown, about 3 minutes. Add kale and 1 tablespoon water. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. Return to same pot; mash with hand masher.

Combine kale mixture and milk in a food processor. Pulse to combine but have some large pieces of kale remaining. Mash into potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Info:
186 calories, 2.3 grams fat, 1.27 grams saturated fat, 6.5 grams protein, 36.2 grams carbohydrates, 6.6 milligrams cholesterol, 126.3 milligrams sodium, 4.43 grams fiber

From Katie’s Healthy Bites: Don’t Skip The Bulk Aisle:
“We get a lot of whole grains and whole-grain flours from the bulk bins. They can go bad faster than their germ-stripped counterparts, making it valuable to be able to buy exactly the small amount you’ll need. Who needs an extra cup of spelt flour sitting around? We also buy nuts and oats from the bulk section — again to get the amount we want for snacking or baking. And we started getting this awesome 31-bean soup mix. I can get exactly one cup, enough for nine cups of soup, without buying a bunch of bags of beans to mix up. I love the bulk bins!” –Julie

From The Veggie Table: Kale For St. Patty’s Day:
“I love to add crushed red pepper to my kale chips. It gives them a bit of a kick!” –Julo

From In Season: Kumquats:
“I eat lemon, orange and lime rinds all the time. After a good wash, grate off some of zest for cooking, juice the fruit, and then thinly slice what is left. Mix with some sugar, spread on a baking sheet, and put in 250 degree oven for two to three hours, stirring gently about every half hour. Remove from the oven and and put in a bowl; let it sit a couple of weeks stirring gently a couple of times a day. Do not cover — let the strips air dry so they don’t mold. Use in tea, drinks and recipes, or nibble as a candy. Some people jar this up and give as gifts.” –Lois Ann

More comments from our Facebook wall:
“I like quick-cooking steel cut oatmeal with unsweetened almond milk sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg. I soak it overnight in the refrigerator and heat it up in the morning — a little trick I learned from a co-worker.” –Elizabeth

“Wonderful smoothie: berries, apples, oranges, yogurt and spinach with a touch of honey.” –Margarita

TELL US: Have a food tip or creative cooking idea? Share it on the blog, Twitter or our Facebook page

Foods of the Future
Want to know what foods you’ll be seeing more of next year? The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association (CRFA) surveyed 400 chefs and asked them to identify the hottest new food trends. Although researchers asked our neighbors to the north, the foods topping the list are similar to ones I’ve spotted at recent New York food shows. What are they? Ancient grains (kamut, spelt and quinoa), gluten-free beer and Middle Eastern cuisine. I’m very excited for that third trend to hit!

Study Finds Soda Taxes Help Shed Pounds
We told you about the big debate on taxing sodas before; now a new study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine shows that taxing soda may be better for our health. Researchers at the University of North Carolina looked at the eating habits of more than 5,000 young adults over the span of 20 years and found that when food costs more, people tend eat fewer calories. Their conclusion: If we paid 18% more for regular soda and other sweetened beverages, we’d consume 56 fewer calories each day and lose around five pounds a year! (Speaking of soda, check out the debate our users struck up in this week’s “Diet Soda: Good or Bad?” post.)

Cheese Made from Breast Milk
Yum, right?! I always assumed breast milk was for feeding a newborn. Well, not anymore. Chef Daniel Angerer decided to make cheese from his wife’s breast milk (don’t worry, he made sure the baby had enough). It took him a little extra effort to make the cheese since human milk doesn’t curdle as well as cows (who knew?)…would any of you try it?

Raw Food Safety
Many folks enjoy following a raw food diet these days. I even got to experience a vegan raw food dinner in New York City a few months ago. But going raw also comes with a few food safety issues. Registered dietitian Keri Gans has some smart tips to make sure the raw food experience is delicious and safe. Some major advice: wash your produce correctly! That is, under cold, running water with a scrub brush; be sure to wash and then toss the outer layer of fruits such as mango and melon. This gets rid of any lingering bacteria that you might normally kill off while cooking food. But remember to only wash fruits just before eating them (storing produce after washing promotes mold growth).

Choosing Your Nutrition Expert
Many of our readers ask us for personalized diet advice and we usually suggest that they see a registered dietitian (like Dana and myself) for one-on-one consultation. When seeking out nutrition experts, you may have heard many titles floating around — nutritionist, health coach or nutrition specialist — and wondered what the heck is the difference? This informative article explains it well. Still confused? Ask us!

Almonds
Almonds contain protein, which gives your hair strength, and the mineral zinc, which keeps it thick (zinc deficiencies can lead to hair loss). Easy ways to add more almonds to your diet: Snack on trail mix, top salads and oatmeal with slivered bits or spread almond butter on apples or toast.

Eggs
Eggs offer the healthy hair trifecta: protein, vitamin B-12 and the lesser-known vitamin, biotin. All those nutrients work to give hair strength. Iffy on eggs? Read more about their healthy benefits here.

Tuna
Omega-3 fats from fish such as salmon and tuna helps keeps your scalp (and the rest of your skin) smooth and healthy. A three-ounce portion of cooked tuna packs more than 1400 milligrams of these good-for-you fats – that’s 400 milligrams more than some varieties of salmon. You’ll also get some B-12 — all fish are excellent sources.

Yogurt
Here’s another food with multiple nutrients for hair health. A six-ounce cup of non-fat yogurt will give you seven to 10 grams of protein (Greek yogurt has even more) and cover 25% of your daily need of calcium, a mineral vital to hair growth. Grab a container for a snack or blend some into a breakfast smoothie.

Lean Beef & Poultry
Iron allows red blood cells to carry oxygen to all the cells in the body, including your hair follicles. Lean cuts of beef (flank steak is my personal fave) and poultry such chicken and turkey are our recommendations — our bodies absorb their iron better than what comes from plant sources.

Beans
Beans and other legumes such as lentils are another good source of iron for hair growth. You can get more biotin and proteins from beans, too! Add these little guys to soups, salads and pasta dishes. Or try mixing them into sautéed ground turkey and veggies for tacos and batches of chili during the winter months.

Spinach
Dark leafy greens — spinach, romaine lettuce, kale and Swiss chard — are high in vitamins A and C, which both act to help produce oils that lock in your hair’s moisture.

Whole-Grain Cereals
Fortified with vitamin B-12, iron and zinc, whole-grain cereals are an easy item to add to your daily menu. Check out which packaged whole-grain cereals ranked highest in our recent taste test.

Cottage Cheese
This is one of the best dairy sources of protein. A single cup of cottage cheese has 28 grams of calcium (that’s 15% of your daily need). Mix in some fruit for a power breakfast or try some of our cottage cheese other ideas.

Citrus Fruit
Full of beneficial vitamin C, fruits such as citrus, strawberries, bell peppers and broccoli also help to produce collagen that keeps the scalp and hair follicles firm and strong. Better still, vitamin C enhances our body’s iron absorption, so add orange segments to that chicken-topped salad or sliced strawberries to your oatmeal and cereal.

Where, When & What?
Native to China and also known as the “cumquat” or “comquot” (which means “gold orange”), these little fruits grow on trees that can reach up 15 feet high and sport some spectacularly glossy green leaves. Here in the U.S. most of our kumquats come from California and Florida and are available from January to June.

The most common variety is the Nagami, or oval kumquat, which grows to be about two inches long and an inch in diameter — not big at all! Kumquats have a pale orange rind that’s edible; unlike other citrus, the rind is actually the sweetest part of the fruit. The inner flesh and juice are sour and contain seeds, which you shouldn’t eat. There are also limequats, a cross between limes and kumquats that sport yellowish-green rinds and a similarly sour flavor with hints of lime mixed in. I haven’t been able to try them firsthand yet, but I’m dreaming about a limequat margarita!

Nutrition Facts
One tiny kumquat only has 13 calories, 1 gram of fiber and 14% of your daily vitamin C. They also contain some vitamin A, potassium and folate, but you’d have to eat quite a few of them to reap the benefits.

What to Do With Kumquats
More versatile than you might think, kumquats work well pickled, candied, baked in breads and pastries, cooked down to marmalade, muddled in cocktails and just eaten raw (rind and all). Florida’s Kumquat Growers Inc. has even more adventurous recipes.

Shopping Tip: Choose fruit that are firm and free of spots or blemishes. Refrigerate them in a plastic bag for up to one month.

Recipes to try:
• Kumquat Marmalade
• Kumquat Mojito
• Winter Fruit Salad
• Mango Sherbet Tropical Fruit Macedoine
• Kumquat Nut Bread

Here are some things to know about diet sodas (or any diet beverage for that matter).

The Good
The bright side to a diet soda is the lack of sugar-filled calories. Switching from a standard 12-ounce can of regular soda to the diet version will save an average of 100 calories and almost seven teaspoons of added sugar per can! If you’re someone that drinks multiple sodas a day, that can lead to some serious weight loss.

The Bad
If you do opt for diet soda, don’t think you can just drink and drink because it’s calorie-free. There are four good reasons to cut back:

1. In place of sugar, diet beverages use artificial sweeteners — chemicals that should be consumed in moderation. There are theories that these artificial sweeteners might increase cravings for more sweet (and high-calorie) foods
2. Many of these drinks contain caffeine, which may curb appetite temporarily, leading to overeating later in the day. A little pick me up is fine but if your total beverage count for the day comes from coffee and caffeinated sodas, you may want to cut back. Here’s a list of the caffeine content in popular beverages.
3. Many of these drinks (especially colas) contain phosphorus, an important nutrient for bone formation and cell structure. The only problem is, too much can leech calcium from your bones, weakening them.
4. The more soda you drink, the less water you’re taking in — water is free of calories, too!

Bottom Line: If you must have them, consume diet beverages in moderation — one 12-ounce serving a day MAX! If you’re looking to cut calories, make some room for water or seltzer, which you can flavor up with fruit slices or a splash of fruit juice for extra oomph.

TELL US: Are you a soda addict?

Recipes to Try:
• Lemon Chicken with Artichoke Hearts
• Pan-Seared Chicken with Cilantro Pesto
• Grilled Chicken Paillard With Lemon and Black Pepper and Arugula Tomato Salad
• Rolled Chicken Sandwich With Arugula and Parsley Aioli (shown above)
• Chicken Posole
• Ellie Krieger’s Chicken Recipes

Overview
TOPS (an acronym for “Take Off Pounds Sensibly”) was founded in 1948 in order to do, well, what their names says — teach people sensible weight-loss strategies. Developed with the help of medical and nutrition experts and the American Medical Association, the TOPS organization believes the most successful way to sustain healthy habits is by having a supportive environment. Today, TOPS has about 170,000 members in nearly 10,000 chapters in the U.S., Canada and other countries worldwide.

The plan’s theory comes from this basic equation: “Calories in” equal “calories out.” But in order to start making lifelong healthy habits, the desire must come within. Once you shed the pounds, the next step is to KOPS (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly).

The Plan
The TOPS Exchange Plan divides foods into six groups, including starch, fruit, veggies, milk, meat and meat substitutes, and fats (this is the same system as the USDA’s My Pyramid). For each food group, you’re assigned a specific amount of portions based on your calorie needs. The plan is formulated so you get 45 to 65% of your total calories from carbs, 20 to 35% of your calories from fat and the rest from protein.

Here’s what a sample breakfast might be: 3/4 cup of Cheerios with 1 cup of low-fat milk, 1 cup of melon and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese topped with 1 ounce of sunflower seeds.

The TOPS website has good hints for changing behaviors, choosing healthier foods, reading food labels and staying motivated.

Some basic — and sensible — tips include:
• Try a new veggie each month.
• Eat small frequent meals throughout the day, rather than a few large ones.
• Schedule your snacks to avoid those desperately hungry runs to the vending machine.

Along with smarter eating, the TOPS plan encourages doing aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercises several times a week, but they encourage you to consult a physician before getting started.

The Costs
Program membership is $26 per year, which includes a guide to help you get started, a one-year subscription to TOPS News magazine and eligibility to attend TOPS retreats and local events. Members can join weekly chapter meetings where you do private weigh-ins followed by group discussions on various topics. Local chapters usually add a small fee for operating costs — it’s typically less than $5 per month. You can also opt to join up online exclusively for $26 plus an additional $1.50 service fee.

The TOPS weight-loss retreats happen year-round and costs around $150 for a weekend and $350 to $450 for a five-day retreat. Their main purpose is to relax, learn and get motivated to lose weight — not necessarily be quick-fix for slimming down.

The Good
• Meal plan is well-balanced and includes all the food groups.
• Excellent support system.
• Weight maintenance is just as important as losing weight.
• Inexpensive.
• Helpful website.

The Not-So Good
• Learning the portions and exchanges can take time and patience.

Bottom Line:
TOPS is an excellent program that relies on motivation and support to help you make life-long changes to your eating and exercise habits.

Read up on other diets:
• Slim Fast
• Cleansing Diets
• The Master Cleanse
• The Blood Type Diet
• The Mediterranean Diet
• The American Heart Association
• The Zone (a.k.a. 40-30-30)
• The Cookie Diet
• Weight Watchers
• Atkins

TELL US: Have you tried TOPS?