Overnight Quinoa Breakfast Porridge

6 Slow Cooker Breakfasts for Easier, Healthier Mornings

By Pamela Vachon / March 30, 2024 / Comments Off on 6 Slow Cooker Breakfasts for Easier, Healthier Mornings

If you only rely on your slow cooker for soups and stews, get ready for a revelation: It also can produce excellent make-ahead breakfasts. Don’t get me wrong, we love pull-from-the-fridge classics like overnight oats. But if you enjoy a warm meal in the morning, you can take that breakfast meal-prep effort of the night…

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woman drinking water outside

7 Healthy Lifestyle Habits That Can Boost Weight Loss

By Pamela Vachon / February 24, 2024 / Comments Off on 7 Healthy Lifestyle Habits That Can Boost Weight Loss

Habits are some of the most powerful tools in our arsenal when it comes to long-term wellness and weight management. The more habitual the behavior, the less you need to think about doing those things that can greatly contribute to a sense of well-being. This is especially important when it comes to weight loss habits.…

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trader joes dips

9 Healthy Trader Joe’s Dips and Spreads Nutritionists Love

By Pamela Vachon / February 7, 2024 / Comments Off on 9 Healthy Trader Joe’s Dips and Spreads Nutritionists Love

Who doesn’t love dunking into a delicious dip on game day (or, really any day)? Whether you’re going to a Super Bowl party or just looking for a way to liven up your vegetables, these Trader Joe’s dips and spreads are the perfect partners. Related: Sign up to receive delicious recipes, expert advice, and shopping…

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salmon fillet with lemon and thyme

The Best 5 Vitamin D Foods To Add to Your Diet ASAP

By Pamela Vachon / December 5, 2023 / Comments Off on The Best 5 Vitamin D Foods To Add to Your Diet ASAP

On those short winter days when it seems like your interaction with daylight is best described as “limited,” it’s important to consider whether you’re getting the necessary Vitamin D you need — and certain foods can assist you with that. “Vitamin D is considered the ‘sunshine vitamin,’ in that it can be produced in the…

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soups from trader joe's

The 6 Best Trader Joe’s Soups Worth Buying, Says Dietitian

By Pamela Vachon / December 1, 2023 / Comments Off on The 6 Best Trader Joe’s Soups Worth Buying, Says Dietitian

Soup tends to take a backseat during the summer months when many of us prefer to eat fresher, and frankly, cooler meals. Now that a slight chill has started to grace the air, along with pumpkin spice everything, soup is ready to have its moment again. Thankfully, popular grocery stores like Trader Joe’s have many…

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7 Weight Loss Strategies That Actually Work, Say Dietitians

By Pamela Vachon / August 17, 2023 / Comments Off on 7 Weight Loss Strategies That Actually Work, Say Dietitians

The science of weight loss is simple: in order to effectively shed pounds your body needs to expend more caloric energy than it takes in. Of course, it never feels that simple, right? If it did, we wouldn’t have created a multi-billion dollar industry around supposed quick fixes, and various programs that seem to constantly…

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le gruyere cheese next to a casserole

The 8 Best Cheeses You Can Buy at Trader Joe’s

By Pamela Vachon / July 18, 2023 / Comments Off on The 8 Best Cheeses You Can Buy at Trader Joe’s

Cheese lovers have long known that cheese can have a positive impact on one’s mental health, so it was a big win this year when word got out that cheese “is much healthier than you thought.” Packed with protein, minerals, and vitamins — including the sometimes elusive vitamin K — there’s no reason that modest…

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an illustration of grocery items being weighed on an old fashioned scale

5 Staples You Actually *Shouldn’t* Buy at Trader Joe’s

By Pamela Vachon / July 3, 2023 /

Trader Joe’s is amazing but that doesn’t mean it has the absolute lowest price or best value for *everything* you get in the grocery store.

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chickpea kale red rice salad from trader joe's in a bowl

10 Trader Joe’s Grab-and-Go Items Nutritionists Love

By Pamela Vachon / June 21, 2023 / Comments Off on 10 Trader Joe’s Grab-and-Go Items Nutritionists Love

We’ve all been there, even when we know we shouldn’t be there: grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Fortunately, Trader Joe’s has built its empire not only on affordability, but on quality and convenience, and it’s entirely possible to find a nutritionally worthy Trader Joe’s grab-and-go snack or meal that is ready to eat upon…

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an illustration of salty snacks and people enjoying them

The Best Weight Loss Snacking Strategies, Say Nutritionists

By Pamela Vachon / June 21, 2023 /

There’s no good reason to think of having a snack as “cheating,” even if you’re trying to lose weight. Nutritionists gave us some great tips on snacking for weight loss.

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Grain-Free Spring Rolls

7 Healthy, Grain-Free Wrap Recipes That Swap Vegetables for Bread

By Pamela Vachon / June 19, 2023 /

These healthy wrap recipes offer a similar eating experience to traditional wraps — but swap the bread for vegetables to clock in with less carbs.

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person pouring bottle of juice into a cup

5 “Healthy” Breakfast Foods That Are Spiking Your Blood Sugar

By Pamela Vachon / June 2, 2023 /

Balancing your blood sugar is the key to stabilized energy levels. These common breakfast foods are considered healthy — but will spike your blood sugar.

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Turkey Burger Salad

10 High Protein Salads That Will Actually Keep You Full

By Pamela Vachon / May 31, 2023 /

Ready for a salad that won’t leave you hungry in a couple of hours? These high protein salad recipes actually satisfy.

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an illustration of a ladder coming up from a shadow of a brain? i know that's not as helpful as it could be but it's a pretty abstract illustration

The 3 Worst Habits for Your Brain, According to Brain Scientists

By Pamela Vachon / May 24, 2023 /

Here are the worst habits for your brain according to several brain specialists, and the best ways to combat them that can help improve cognitive function.

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Costco foods that are high in protein

8 Costco Foods That Are Packed With Protein

By Pamela Vachon / May 18, 2023 / Comments Off on 8 Costco Foods That Are Packed With Protein

Protein isn’t only a muscle-building resource, it is an essential macronutrient that our bodies need in abundance for a variety of functions. “We need to eat protein every day in order to keep our cells healthy,” says Kimberly Gomer, MS, RD, LDN, and director of nutrition at Body Beautiful Miami. Not only do we use…

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gourmet items from trader joe's

9 Gourmet & Healthy Products You Can Buy at Trader Joe’s

By Pamela Vachon / April 28, 2023 /

Trader Joe’s is more than just a great place for everyday groceries — for some gourmet items, it’s better than pricier food markets.

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whole foods products

9 Cheap Whole Foods Organic Items We Love

By Pamela Vachon / April 25, 2023 /

Sometimes referred to as “Whole Paycheck,” Whole Foods is rarely referred to as cheap — but you can find these ten great deals there.

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an illustration of a kitchen scale weighing a variety of foods

I Lost 25 Pounds Relying on This One Kitchen Tool

By Pamela Vachon / April 3, 2023 /

This was my most successful experience with weight loss: I lost 25 pounds in four months, and this timeframe *included the holidays.*

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An illustration symbolizing longevityq

People Live the Longest in These 12 U.S. States. Here’s Why.

By Pamela Vachon / March 10, 2023 /

These healthy habits are common among residents of the states with the longest lifespans — you might want to adopt them, too.

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9 Vegetable-Packed Lasagna Recipes Worthy of Dinner

By Pamela Vachon / January 31, 2023 /

Many of these vegetable lasagna recipes don’t even include traditional pasta — just layers of vegetables for an ultra-healthy twist.

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bottles of de soi on a table

I’m a Certified Sommelier and This Non-Alcoholic Aperitif Lives Up to the Hype

By Pamela Vachon / January 11, 2023 / Comments Off on I’m a Certified Sommelier and This Non-Alcoholic Aperitif Lives Up to the Hype

I write about wellness, but as a certified sommelier and former Michelin-starred restaurant bartender, I also write about alcoholic beverages — two things that don’t have to be mutually exclusive, by the way. As a wellness writer, and frankly, as a human, I feel that any initiatives that promote reevaluating our individual relationships with alcohol,…

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oatmeal bowl with nuts and fruit

The Best 9 Foods To Lower Your Cholesterol Numbers

By Pamela Vachon / October 9, 2022 / Comments Off on The Best 9 Foods To Lower Your Cholesterol Numbers

Cholesterol can be a tricky subject to understand, as we’ve been frequently told there are both “good” and “bad” kinds. Understanding which is which, and whether your cholesterol numbers are something you need to start paying attention to — even if you haven’t been diagnosed as having high cholesterol — are important matters to consider…

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canned pumpkin in a bowl ready to use

The Amazing Benefits of Eating Canned Pumpkin, Says Dietitian

By Pamela Vachon / September 23, 2022 / Comments Off on The Amazing Benefits of Eating Canned Pumpkin, Says Dietitian

During pumpkin spice season, it’s the spice element that tends to take top billing, getting mixed into our lattes and oatmeals the minute September rolls around up until Thanksgiving when pumpkin pie season gets its proper due. But while the flavor of pumpkin spice tends to be all the rage throughout those early fall months,…

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