Read more about the article What Would Jesus Eat? Where Food and Faith Collide
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What Would Jesus Eat? Where Food and Faith Collide

In 1 Corinthians 10:31, it says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 

So how do food and faith collide? Whether you follow a certain religion or just are one with the universe, food and how you treat your body with it can have a powerful role on your spiritual life. In this season of Lent, I was curious about how something so innate to our body survival – food – can connect with faith – which for those of us who follow one, is a way of feeding our souls.

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Read more about the article Your Brain on Lab-Grown Food
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Your Brain on Lab-Grown Food

Do you ever wander through a grocery store, and you start snaking through the center aisles through the bright beautiful colors of foods in boxes and bags? If you stop and pay attention to how you feel, it may be giddy, excited or just want to eat everything in sight?

Believe it or not, you are being seduced.

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Read more about the article Your A-Z Guide to Popular Diets
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Your A-Z Guide to Popular Diets

You want to try a diet. I get it. I am not here to stop you. It’s that time in the middle of winter when you have that panic moment – you’ve been super busy at work the holidays threw you off and you started a fitness kick but stopped it at the end of dry January.

So here is a list of popular diets – and some criteria to consider before going on one. I am also including DAO resources with deep dives on the super popular ones – Keto, Paleo, and Intermittent Fasting.

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Read more about the article How to cut sugar without going crazy
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How to cut sugar without going crazy

If you have been listening to mainstream media, you probably are convinced that sugar is the devil incarnate when it comes to healthy eating and weight loss. Yes, sugar is delicious and tempting and even comforting. But eating too much can lead to all kinds of problems – including weight gain and obesity, . And most Americans eat way, way too much. (up to 5 times the recommended amount by the American Heart Association).

Sugar is also really sneaky. It is EVERYWHERE…in places you don’t even suspect. So when you are at a conference and innocently picking up that cup of yogurt at breakfast, thinking you are being “good”, you are likely just inhaling a bunch of sugar. You might as well have had that danish! Even when it comes to less obvious “evils”, there are so many conflicting opinions. Fruit is good. No, fruit’s just like sugar, it’s bad. White sugar is bad, but honey and date syrup are legit “clean eating.” Or the “sugar is sugar is sugar” trope.

It all comes back to being smart, not being dogmatic. In this article, I boil down what you need to know to be smart about sugar. Most of the reason we overconsume is lack of information and marketing hacks. This article will give you the knowledge you need, so you don’t have to deprive yourself.

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Read more about the article Live well in 2023: The DAOFitLife Glow Up Guide
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Live well in 2023: The DAOFitLife Glow Up Guide

It’s a new year and a new start, which means it’s the perfect time to focus on yourself and make some positive changes. One way to do this is to “glow up,” or make improvements to your physical and mental well-being. You can “glow up” in many ways, and a lot of it is bigger than what you see on the outside. A true “glow up” is an inside AND outside job. 

Here are some tips on how to glow up this January.

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Read more about the article My “Opposite” New Year’s Exercise Resoluton
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My “Opposite” New Year’s Exercise Resoluton

Many New Year’s resolutions involve quitting. Quitting drinking, quitting smoking, quitting sugar, Or starting some big challenge – mainly involving working out. We see the gyms and workout studios fill up with determined people who may have been in a holiday cookie blur but could be mistaken for ironman training competitors. So hardcore and leaving no space on cardio machines, workout classes and you can forget the bench press. You may go to a yoga class and experience namaste or a foot in your face. 

The hard and simple truth: You can’t outrun, outdance, outkickbox, or outnamaste a bad diet. And I am looking to partially prove that and some other things by my 2023 New Year’s Resolution.

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Read more about the article Guilt-Free Winter Comfort Foods
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Guilt-Free Winter Comfort Foods

It’s cold outside. It’s snowing. You are so ready to sit under your Ugg throw and snug with a book or a binge watch. 

Maybe you already got your workout in, and it’s time to relax. But what you nosh on during that sesh can totally erase whatever calories you burned during spinning. 

But that does not mean you have to miss out on what you love to eat when the weather is so chilly. I have found a way to enjoy my favorite comfort foods without guilt, and I am sharing a list of the usual suspects with you, and my recommended substitution.

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Read more about the article Enjoy Thanksgiving and Keep Your Fitness on Track
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Enjoy Thanksgiving and Keep Your Fitness on Track

It’s official – travel for the holidays is back. About 70% of Americans said they have travel plans to travel for the holiday, Airport officials and industry analysts say passenger traffic for the Nov. 24 Thanksgiving holiday through New Year’s is set to reach or exceed 2019 levels.

This post updates the hottest tips for staying sane and healthy during Thanksgiving.

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Read more about the article When treating your mental health makes you gain weight
Do you have to choose between being sad or skinny? Read on to find out what your options are. terovesalainen @ Adobe Stock

When treating your mental health makes you gain weight

 Would you rather be sad, or skinny? Would you rather be fat and happy, or thin and sad? These are questions that magazines are actually asking mostly women about the fact that treating depression and anxiety would some forms of medication could potentially cause weight gain

The articles featured in Vice and Self magazine echo a deeper sense of self- conflict about mental health – at what cost do we pursue our well-being and happiness? For some this can mean taking prescribed medication, which can lead to intended and unintended consequence. And one of the biggest ones whispered about in anonymous forums is this: weight gain.

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Read more about the article How to attend conferences without blowing your fitness goals 
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How to attend conferences without blowing your fitness goals 

If you are in a professional services field, you know that conferences are like our Superbowl. It’s the ultimate opportunity for companies to showcase their talent, swag, and brand power. 

It’s also the ultimate opportunity to pack on the pounds. A lack of choice for food options, many of which are not healthy. Wining and dining. Little sleep from compressed schedules for presentations and time zone differences. 

Slowly, you make decisions that you would never make if you were at your own home base. Like, maybe that stale mini cheese Danish IS a good idea. 

If I know one thing from being a professional in this workforce for many years, pre and post-pandemic, I know how to navigate this minefield. And I am here to tell you all the best tricks and tips so you can come and go like the fit boss that you are. 

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Read more about the article How to ghost sugar overload this Halloween (updated)
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How to ghost sugar overload this Halloween (updated)

It’s Halloween already, and we are officially sanctioned to go back to trick-or-treating and Halloween parties. The drugstores and grocery stores are teeming with bags of fun-size candy bars and candy corn pumpkins. Offices and schools have candy bowls and homemade cookies EVERYWHERE. You may be going to one or a few Halloween parties this weekend. This is NOT the time to white knuckle. There is a better answer.

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Read more about the article DAOFitLife Hot List: Summer Smoothies to Glow Up Before Fall
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DAOFitLife Hot List: Summer Smoothies to Glow Up Before Fall

Smoothies, if done right, can be an excellent way to start the day or get through an afternoon slump. In fact, sometimes I have a smoothie as my lunch so I do not feel weighed down. Here are my top recipes with superfood ingredients that will energize you and slim you down.

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Read more about the article When I dip you dip: The 10 Best Low-Calorie Veggie Dips
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When I dip you dip: The 10 Best Low-Calorie Veggie Dips

Dipping veggies in tasty sauces has been an important factor in how I have been able to not only achieve, but maintain my weight. Let’s face it – when all is said and done, mainstream media and advertising content are showering us with temptation all day long. You cannot go about your normal day without having images of fried food shoved in your face. But you can outsmart the temptation and have your dip too.

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Watch these videos to get in shape this summer

In our 50th anniversary issue, we are looking back – at the best of times. Here are the top DAOFitLife YouTube videos you may have missed. I have included a QR code for each one in case you want to scan to your phone and listen on the go! For more videos, check out the DAOFitLife YouTube Channel (please like and subscribe!)

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Read more about the article DAOFitLife Hot List: Healthiest summer salad chains
Here are a list of the perfect choices for that midday salad pick me up. Photo by Nielsen Ramon

DAOFitLife Hot List: Healthiest summer salad chains

It’s almost noon, and you are hungry? What are you going to get when it’s north of 80 degrees and climbing? A SALAD! And I have the perfect recommendations on what chains are the healthiest and how to order healthy so you can slide into the pool later.

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