Recipe Makeover: Potato Bacon & Cheese Bites

This is the recipe for the light potato appetizer I took to the cookie exchange party. It works great as a make-ahead appetizer (just broil before you want to serve them) or as a side dish for brunch or dinner. I love that you can make these the night before you need them!

The original recipe called for pork bacon, a tablespoon of bacon grease, and regular cream cheese and cheddar cheese. I used turkey bacon, 2 teaspoons of olive oil instead of bacon grease, light cream cheese and reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese. These were really yummy. Continue reading…

Extra Fat Builds Strong Bones in Girls

Not exactly something a weight obsessed teenage girl wants to here.

But new research suggests carrying extra fat mass may help adolescent girls build bone mass, and protect against osteoporosis later in life.

Writing in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, scientists found fat mass increased cortical bone mass in girls 70% more than it did in boys of the same age; 15 years old.

Cortical bone mass is the outer coating of bone.

It still might not be a good idea for young girls to pack on the pounds, but the researchers say excessive reduction of fat mass may harm girls’ skeletons, and possibly heighten their risk of osteoporosis—kind of a catch-22.

Via HealthDay News.

Image credit: Business Week

Posted in Nutrition & Health

Personality of the Week: Taylor LeBaron, Teenage Role Model

“150 Pounds Lost, One Byte at a Time”

Taylor LeBaron, an emerging leader in the fight against the obesity and diabetes epidemics, is a teenage role model worth knowing about. At age 14 he was nearly 300 pounds, and he took it upon himself to figure out what to do about it. By age 15 he lost about 150 pounds of excess body fat and has been maintaining that weight loss, and a healthy muscular body, for over 2 years. This is a rare occurrence! There are few teens around who have been able to achieve and maintain such a staggering transformation.

Happily, Taylor is also an inspiring story teller who has just published a book. Continue reading…

Jason Alexander Joins Jenny Craig

Joining the ranks of such celebrities as Kirstie Alley, Queen Latifah and Valerie Bertinelli, Jason Alexander has signed on to become the newest spokesperson for the Jenny Craig diet plan. Arguably best known for his role as George Costanza on the long running sitcom Seinfeld, Alexander was disturbed when he saw himself on screen recently. While taping a “Seinfeld” reunion to be shown on the hit show Curb Your Enthusiasm, he realized that he put on more weight than he wanted. His goal is to lose 30-40 pounds.

“It’s always been the same old story,” Alexander said in a statement about his previous attempts at dieting. ”The first 10 lbs were gone in a jiff, but then Bamm!. Back again, a

Continue reading…