Wouldnt it be great to have a personal nutrition assistant? An expert who stocked the fridge regularly with appetizing plates of fruit for snacks and vegetables ready to be tossed into meals? Shed keep the kitchen tidy and have at hand the best tools for making quick work of meal preparation.

With this kind of help, it would be so much simpler to focus on healthy eating.

But lets re-enter the real world. Since the vast majority of us dont have access to kitchen staff, if were seriously committed to weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight we have to be our own kitchen assistant. For permanent success, its an absolute requirement to get the area in order. So roll up your sleeves and refresh your own kitchen.

Put particular emphasis on five areas:

1. The fridge. This is vitally important. To ensure fresh vegetables and fruit comprise half the plate in most meals and snacks, they have to be easily accessible. Clean your fridge. Get rid of items you wont eat. Then start shopping for fresh produce at least twice each week. Put it away in an organized fashion. Keep a crisper of washed and cut up carrots and celery. Stock at least three additional vegetables and three kinds of fruit for use each week. Keep a shopping list handy to add items as you start to run low.

2. Canned goods. There are several canned goods worth having on hand for use in healthy recipes. Particularly good choices are salmon, tuna and sardines, canned tomatoes, chickpeas, black beans, lentils and other legumes, and canned fruit packed in its own juice. There are also poor choices: clear out anything thats of low quality and unworthy of your improved eating habits, including salty canned pastas and soups.

3. Grain products. Take time to sort through your pasta, rice, bread, cereals and crackers. Ensure most are whole grain and supply at least two grams of fibre per serving. For cereal, check that the sugar is below eight grams per serving and fat is less than two grams. If crackers, cookies and chips are too easily relied on for snacks, stop buying them. These foods often supply excess sodium, and the more salt you eat, the more you want. Replace these snacks with more nutritious ones like novel tropical fruits, fresh vegetables with a tasty low-fat dip, toasted almonds or pecans.

4. The freezer. Whether its massive or just the one in your fridge, the freezer is a vital tool in a healthy eating plan. Keep frozen blueberries, peaches and other fruit for adding to smoothies and healthy desserts, a variety of whole grain bread products such as sliced bread, English muffins or tortillas, lean meats like chicken and fish, and a selection of frozen vegetables with no added sauces. If you havent discovered Brussels sprouts, theyre one of the best frozen veggie options.

5. The tools. Its tough to eat the requisite quantity of vegetables and fruit if your preparation equipment is lousy. Invest in a new, rustproof vegetable peeler, a clean cutting board and a sharp paring knife or two. A decent non-stick pan, a couple of saucepans and roasting pans are also required tools for healthy eating. Parchment paper is worth using for simple clean up after roasting. Storage supplies are other key tools. Items like plastic containers with lids and plastic or foil wrap make it easy to store leftovers or pack along to fuel a busy day.

- Patricia Chuey, author, speaker and nutrition consultant can be reached through patriciachuey.com. Find her on Twitter @patriciachuey

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Kitchen refresh crucial for weight loss success

With an investment of millions of dollars, MDPrevent, led by Steven Charlap, MD, MBA, custom develops and launches an innovative approach to lifestyle modification and weight loss. The LEAN (Lifestyle Education And Nutrition) Weight Loss Program, using a team of medical and educational professionals, combines private consultations with group sessions to achieve sustainable lifestyle modification and weight loss results. For eligible seniors, Medicare covers the entire cost of the program.

Delray Beach, FL (PRWEB) March 06, 2012

Working within Medicares guidelines for IBTO, in 2012, MDPrevent, a preventive medicine, primary care, and education center launched its custom-developed and innovative LEAN (Lifestyle Education And Nutrition) Weight Loss Program. The LEAN program does not include pills, injections, or surgery. It is a medically supervised lifestyle modification program that includes private consultations with primary care practitioners combined with group sessions with dietitians, psychologists, fitness and yoga instructors, and health educators. The program aims for slow, but steady and sustainable weight loss. Most importantly, it focuses on healthy living and improved well-being. Participating patients are already losing weight in a sustainable manner by changing their relationships with food, their patterns of physical activity, their handling of stress, and how they sleep. The best part of the program is that it is free to eligible seniors. MDPrevent knows of no other program, locally or nationally, offering such a comprehensive weight loss program subject to Medicares new guidelines.

MDPrevent is led by Steven Charlap, a pioneering physician with an MD from NYU Medical School, an MBA from Harvard, and surgical residency training. In 1989, he founded HealthDrive and then grew it to be the largest U.S. medical and dental practice serving the extended care industry. Over twenty years, HealthDrive cared for over 5 million seniors and Dr. Charlap witnessed first-hand what happens to people who dont take adequate care of their health, end up being institutionalized and dependent on the kindness of strangers. According to Dr. Charlap, It is really sad to see people end their lives in a nursing home. What was disappointing was coming to the realization that there may be very little one could do about improving health and longevity at that stage in a persons life. Even more frustrating was that I couldnt even try because Medicare and Medicaid basically shunned preventive services. Dr. Charlap sold HealthDrive and essentially retired in 2008.

In 2010, Dr. Charlap became euphoric when he discovered that in 2011, Medicare was ready to invest in prevention, finally recognizing that a focus on primary prevention was necessary to save the Medicare Trust Fund, which was already beginning to absorb the tens of millions of baby boomers joining Medicares rolls. In response, Dr. Charlap and Michael Rose, a close friend, invested millions of dollars into MDPrevent, an innovative preventive medicine, primary care, and education center to provide these critical preventive services and change the course of the next generations lives by focusing on longevity. Dr. Charlap states, The scientific evidence supports that the longer you live, the healthier youve been. After much research and consultations with the experts in the field of prevention, Dr. Charlap assembled a dream team of Preventioneers including doctors, nurse practitioners, psychologists, nutritionists, fitness experts, and health educators.

The Preventioneerss first goal was to develop a new lifestyle modification program to tackle chronic disease prevention. Starting in 2010, they began studying many of the existing clinical and commercial models and theories of lifestyle modification and weight loss. In 2012, the first product of those efforts, LEAN Weight Loss, was implemented. The most important aspect of LEAN is that it focuses on healthy living and improved well-being.

Since Medicare initiated coverage for IBTO, MDPrevent has enrolled about 70 patients in its LEAN program and initial weight loss results are very promising. According to Dr. Charlap, I see the smiles on peoples faces when they complete a class for the day. They feel empowered and for the first time in a long time, in control of their health and their weight. I think we are really on to something that can change the future of healthcare.

About MDPrevent

MDPrevent is a new concept in primary care that seamlessly integrates primary care, preventive medicine, and education. The healthcare practice helps Americans prevent problems before they happen, reduce healthcare costs, stay healthy, and enjoy a life well lived through free Annual Wellness Visits (paid 100% by Medicare and most major insurances) The Annual Wellness Visit includes a comprehensive health risk assessment, biometric measurements, review and analysis of prescription, supplement and vitamin use, and development of a five- to 10-year prevention plan.

MDPrevents Preventioneers, so called because they are pioneering new approaches to prevention, include MDs, nurse practitioners, health psychologists, registered dietitians and nutritionists, exercise physiologists, fitness and yoga instructors and health educators, in addition to private consultations also provide interactive group courses, medically supervised weight loss (with no pills, injections or surgery - paid 100% by most insurances if you qualify) and other classes on health, diet and nutrition, fitness and exercise, stress management, relationship and social network building, and other key elements of a healthy life. The goal: to improve life and smooth out the effects of aging by identifying, preventing, delaying or mitigating the development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, dementia and some forms of cancer. Learn more at http://www.MDPrevent.net.

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MDPrevent Launches First Weight Loss Program for Seniors, Paid for by Medicare, to Rave Reviews

By Maryanne Kocis MacLeod maryanne.macleod @macombdaily.com; @maryannemacleod

Molly Everett, 58, weighed 315 pounds before embarking on gastric bypass hypnosis surgery. So far, shes lost 100 pounds and has changed her lifestyle and eating habits.

At 315 pounds, Molly Everett, 58, of Bushnell, Fla., was contemplating gastric bypass surgery. The drastic weight-loss treatment worked beautifully for two of her family members, but not so well for two others.

I could see that the ones who lost the weight and kept it off put a lot of time and effort into changing the way they thought about food, Everett said. If you dont work at it, you wont get results.

So when Molly heard about Florida resident Rena Greenbergs gastric bypass hypnosis surgery, she thought, This is for me.

After putting clients in a relaxed state through hypnosis, Greenberg verbally simulates the surgical procedure in vivid but gentle detail, comfortably and privately in her own office.

So far Everett has lost 100 pounds, without surgery, and loves working out six days a week as part of a local fitness centers boot camp program.

Without the focus Rena gave me, I never could have done it, said Everett, who teaches writing to third-, fourth- and fifth-graders. She really helped me focus on what I needed to do with my health.

Greenberg, whose work has been featured on the Dr. Oz and Good Morning America shows, brings her non-invasive weight loss treatment plan to St. John Macomb Hospital in Warren on March 8.

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Alternative weight-loss treatment: Gastric bypass hypnosis surgery

When it's your job to look good, there's no telling what you'll do to get there. U.S. News, which publishes annual Best Diets rankings, has rounded up some of the wackiest celebrity diets and weight-loss tricks of recent years. Warning: Most of these don't reflect widely accepted guidelines for weight loss or a healthy lifestyle, and some are downright dangerous, even if they do provide fast results. Here are seven:

[See: Diet Plans That Work]

Watercress Soup Diet. Elizabeth Hurley's secret to dropping 10 pounds in seven days: a diet of watercress soup. "I drink at least six cups a day when I am eager to lose a few pounds," she told London's Daily Mail in 2007. "It's fat-less, low-calorie, full of vitamins and iron, and delicious enough to serve at a dinner party." Watercress soup typically consists of onions, light chicken stock, three large bunches of watercress, and salt and pepper. Such a restrictive diet, however, could open the door to nutrient deficiencies, a weakened immune system, and rebound weight gain.

The Facial Analysis Diet. Kate Winslet shed pregnancy weight with the Facial Analysis Diet, created by celebrity nutritionist Elizabeth Gibaud. The premise is that differently shaped faces need different diets, and that facial imperfections, such as forehead wrinkles or large pores, can signal dietary needs. Red or puffy cheeks, for example, are considered signs of dairy intolerance. And people with shiny noses are advised to avoid mangoes, chocolate, yeast-related products, red wine, and white flour, while sticking to apples, cucumbers, potatoes, and oats. A facial analyst will first examine skin for markings, color, and texture, and then create a customized plan that begins with a two-day detox. Most versions of the diet are low in calories, but claims in the book aren't backed by scientific research.

[See: Celebrity Weight Loss: Tales of the Scales]

The "Bleak Diet." In 2007, Mariah Carey told reporters that she'd dropped two dress sizes by following a "bleak diet" built around fish and soup prepared very blandly--no oil or butter, for example. On the plus side, the diet emphasizes lean protein, which is a healthy choice. But neglecting flavor makes for a monotonous diet that will likely prove difficult to stick to over the long term.

Vinegar shots. Megan Fox and Fergie have admitted to taking shots of vinegar--typically three times a day, before each meal--in the name of weight loss. Advocates claim that vinegar flushes out fats in the colon, helping the body digest food while curbing cravings. But vinegar isn't a weight-loss panacea, experts say: There's no evidence it does anything but leave behind an unpleasant taste.

Grapefruit oil. Carmen Electra reportedly carries a vial of grapefruit oil around with her, sniffing it whenever hunger strikes. However, no research suggests that grapefruit oil has appetite-suppressing properties.

[See: Why These Famous Vegetarians and Vegans Pass on Meat]

The "Air Diet." Madonna has been linked to the "air diet"--dubbed by the French magazine Grazia as the "it" way to lose weight in 2010. The idea is to go through the motions of eating without ever taking a bite. Followers put food on their plates, cut it, dig their fork into it, and hold it up to their mouths to savor the scent--never tasting it. What can they consume? Soup made from water and salt. Madonna helped popularize the plan in a 2010 Dolce and Gabbana ad campaign in which she and other stars were pictured holding food to their mouths but not eating it. (It's unclear whether she has actually tried the diet.) Medical experts don't condone such a restrictive, low-calorie diet.

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7 Wacky Celebrity Diets and Weight-Loss Tricks