Merritt Clubs Blog

Diet is one of the most perplexing and frustrating things to balance in our lives. Losing weight is a challenge for most because along with exerting oneself physically, understanding and applying healthy eating habits are crucial for effective results.  An important part of a healthy diet is eating carbohydrates that help sustain energy for longer periods of time so that the body is able to use the food as fuel when working out. These are called complex carbohydrates.

For everyone hoping to adopt or maintain a healthy lifestyle, the summer months are prime time to fill up baskets with blackberries. Despite their small size, the seasonal fruit really packs a sweet punch when it comes to nutritional value. To strengthen our position, here are five beneficial things that blackberries have in abundance:

Do you consider yourself relatively fit but still have trouble getting through an entire group fitness class? If so, the problem could be a matter of diet rather than a lack of resolve. With that said, try adding the following energy boosting foods to your menu rotation:

Healthy snacking is just as important to a diet and living a healthy lifestyle as is eating a healthy meal. So while reaching for a bag of chips and a soda during a break once in a while won't completely ruin your diet, sticking to a calorie count that suits your metabolic needs is what is more important. One right choice will not only fill your day with the power your body needs, but it will also lead to other positives, and not just ones that are health-related.

As the season slowly turns to fall here in the Old Line State, autumn vegetables will be making their way into CSA boxes and produce markets. When they do, one item Marylanders should be on the lookout for is escarole. It could help those in search of a healthy life.

With a particular pilgrim laden holiday on the horizon, our best health clubs' registered dietitians couldn't help but feel compelled to dish on why turkey is more than just delish. So what is it, besides taste, that makes turkeys one of America’s most beloved Thanksgiving staples? Momentarily stop the clock on your treadmill and check out our forkful of facts:

You might have heard people say that life is too short and this is why they like to eat dessert first!  From the standpoint of a healthy lifestyle, eating dessert first may not be the best thing.  Not only are you consuming a lot of fats and sugars, you’re doing so on an empty stomach, which means you’re sure to get a sugar rush.  And although a sugar rush might feel good in the moment, it recedes quickly and makes you crave sugar again a couple of hours later.  Does this mean that you have to cut out desserts entirely from your diet?  Of course not.  You can have your cake and eat it too but you need to do so in a controlled manner.  Here are a few tips to help you do so:

Confession: two months ago, if you had told me that I would write healthy food recipes for a health club, I might have laughed at you. Not for lack of kitchen experience, but for lack of *healthy* kitchen experience. Two months ago, all of my recipes included liberal amounts of butter, full fat cheese and pasta. Lots of pasta. I am not sure how, but something clicked two months ago and I realized that I can use my kitchen knowledge for good. I changed the way I ate, started moving more, and drank a ton of water and I sit here today 20lbs lighter. I don't claim to be a nutritionist or a healthy food guru but I am happy to be here to share some of the recipes that helped my family get healthy while still looking forward to dinner time.