The Leaf | Healthy Weight Loss Blog

We don’t mean to burst your bubble, ice cream lovers, but the amount of calories, fat and sugar in a scoop of the sweet frozen stuff could really make you scream. That’s right: One cup of plain vanilla ice cream can clock in at 273 calories, 15 grams of fat and 28 grams of sugar. And that’s just vanilla! Fortunately, here at Nutrisystem, we know that depriving yourself of your favorite foods can actually backfire, so we’ve got you covered with some super simple, delicious “Nice Cream” recipes. Click here to get your FREE printable recipe book featuring our favorite healthy ice cream recipes > When ice cream is nothing to fear, we call it “nice cream.” It’s a guilt-free, easy-to-make ice cream treat that is as diet-friendly as it is refreshing. Nice cream combines nutrient-dense frozen fruit with low-fat liquids to provide a sweet and nutritious treat that will cool you off in a pinch. Ice cream cravings are no longer something to be feared. Check out this round-up of nine diet-...

Planting a garden can take your healthy lifestyle to the next level. When you grow your own at home, you get the freshest, ripest, best-tasting vegetables possible. And there is a deep satisfaction that comes with eating and sharing healthy food you produced. Home gardening is a light, low-impact activity that burns calories, keeps you limber and brings you outdoors in the sunshine and fresh air. Here at Nutrisystem , we recommend getting in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Home gardening is the perfect way to achieve this! It also helps you keep a steady supply of non-starchy vegetables that you can incorporate into your healthy meal plan. Now here’s the best part: you don’t need experience or even space to pick homegrown food from spring to fall. These 10 simple home gardening tips for beginners will help you be successful. 1. Look for the light. Vegetable plants need lots of sunlight to be productive and healthy. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other varieti...

Open-flame cooking brings out the best flavor in just about every food. When you grill vegetables and fruits, their natural sugars caramelize and they taste even sweeter. Many favorite fruits are fast and easy to grill, and they make a deliciously different ingredient, side dish, snack or treat. Because they are nutrient-rich, filled with fiber and low to medium on the Glycemic Index, grilled fruits are SmartCarbs that you can enjoy without impeding progress toward your weight loss goal. (Just be sure to consult your Grocery Guide for proper portion sizes .) Ready to try grilled fruits? Here are a few tips for success with all fruits and hints for enjoying 10 great tastes of the season: Basket, Pan or Skewers The grates that came with your grill are shaped for cooking meat, but less substantial ingredients, such as pieces of fruit, are prone to falling through as they heat up. When grilling fruit, put it in a wire basket or on a tray with small holes that allow the flames to tou...

You lift weights and work those resistance bands hard. You squat and lunge, push and pull up, and hold plank ‘til your body trembles. All excellent moves designed to help you gain muscle. That’s important for lots of reasons: As you get older, muscle mass naturally decreases—after age 30, you can lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade. Most men will lose about 30% of their muscle mass during their life, according to Harvard Medical School. 1 When muscle mass goes down, body fat goes up. Plus, muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the better your weight control. 2 Strength training is step one for how to build muscle. 3 But do you know what to eat to gain muscle? What you eat on the days you work out—and the days you don’t—is just as important. Without the right mix of nutrients, your body won’t have the fuel it needs to achieve your muscle-building goals. 1 Protein, of course, is key to muscle building—it is broken down into amino acids, which is neede...