Amanda Latona is currently one of the most published fitness models in the industry. She’s graced numerous magazine covers, been featured countless times and can be seen in a number of BSN ads. Amanda shares her nutrition philosophy with Bodybuilding.com on how she keeps hardbody despite a demanding schedule. She says, “eat for fuel.” Sound Advice.

Amanda’s Nutrition Philosophy via bodybuilding.com
I started out in the fitness industry with just a pure passion and love of training.

Putting in so much hard work in the gym, it only made sense to get the most out of my training, so I would eat for fuel. That sums up my eating, really.

My nutrition philosophies are:
• Use food as fuel.
• Eat what God put on this earth. I eat whole foods, limit my sugar, and stay away from high-sodium processed foods.
• Eat balanced by using a variety of foods for their vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, etc. Be balanced by giving in to a cheat meal once in a while to keep from feeling totally deprived. Enjoy life and special occasions.
• Eat lots of protein, complex carbs, and lots and lots of veggies.
• Instead of having a full-out junk food binge, I listen to my body. If I really need chocolate, then I have it.

Check out the entire feature on Bodybuilding.com to get her schedule and what she’s eating.

Every year since the mid 1990s, an increasing number of farmers have adopted the use of GM (genetically modified) plants. With the world population currently topping 6 billion people and predictions that that figure will double in 50 years, some think GMO (genetically modified organisms) are the answer to ensuring an adequate food supply. But are they safe? The hosts of the Emmy Award-winning syndicated daytime talk show THE DOCTORS address the controversy surrounding GMOS (genetically modified organisms) on Friday, April 20 (check your local listings).

What are GMOs?
As it relates to agriculture, GMO technology is an FDA-approved, patent-protected process that creates food crops that are resistant to commercial herbicides, are able to produce pesticidal proteins from within the plant, or they do both. In the United States, more than 90% of all corn, soybean and canola oil come from GM corn, soybean and rapeseed plants, meaning that all products using those oils have GM ingredients.

The FDA has approved the GMO process, but the scary thing is that the long-term effects of consumption are unknown, AND farmers and manufacturers are not required to label GM foods.

What do THE DOCTORS recommend?
THE DOCTORS suggests buying organic produce whenever possible. Use the PLU sticker as a guide—a five-digit code beginning with “9” is organically grown, while a four-digit code starting with “4” is a conventional, or potentially a GM product.

For packaged foods, check out an app called Fooducate, which scans barcodes and provides an overall “grade” for a particular food. It also provides product highlights (good and bad) as well as a comparison to similar items, equipping the consumer with enough information to make a decision on his/her own.

All information provided by MPRM Communications

Should sugar be controlled like alcohol and tobacco? A team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco believe that sugar is fueling global obesity and it will require more than simple education and awareness to make a change.

Sugar, they argue, is far from just “empty calories” that make people fat.  At the levels consumed by most Americans, sugar changes metabolism, raises blood pressure, critically alters the signaling of hormones and causes significant damage to the liver – the least understood of sugar’s damages. These health hazards largely mirror the effects of drinking too much alcohol, which they point out in their commentary is the distillation of sugar.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February, 1, 2012

SOCIETAL CONTROL OF SUGAR ESSENTIAL TO EASE PUBLIC HEALTH BURDEN

Sugar should be controlled like alcohol and tobacco to protect public health, according to a team of UCSF researchers, who maintain in a new report that sugar is fueling a global obesity pandemic, contributing to 35 million deaths annually worldwide from non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Non-communicable diseases now pose a greater health burden worldwide than infectious diseases, according to the United Nations. In the United States, 75 percent of health care dollars are spent treating these diseases and their associated disabilities.

In the Feb. 2 issue of Nature, Robert Lustig, MD, Laura Schmidt, PhD, MSW, MPH, and Claire Brindis, DPH, colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), argue that sugar’s potential for abuse, coupled with its toxicity and pervasiveness in the Western diet make it a primary culprit of this worldwide health crisis.

This partnership of scientists trained in endocrinology, sociology and public health took a new look at the accumulating scientific evidence on sugar. Such interdisciplinary liaisons underscore the power of academic health sciences institutions like UCSF.

Sugar, they argue, is far from just “empty calories” that make people fat.  At the levels consumed by most Americans, sugar changes metabolism, raises blood pressure, critically alters the signaling of hormones and causes significant damage to the liver – the least understood of sugar’s damages. These health hazards largely mirror the effects of drinking too much alcohol, which they point out in their commentary is the distillation of sugar.

Worldwide consumption of sugar has tripled during the past 50 years and is viewed as a key cause of the obesity epidemic.  But obesity, Lustig, Schmidt and Brindis argue, may just be a marker for the damage caused by the toxic effects of too much sugar.  This would help explain why 40 percent of people with metabolic syndrome—the key metabolic changes that lead to diabetes, heart disease and cancer—are not clinically obese.

“As long as the public thinks that sugar is just ‘empty calories,’ we have no chance in solving this,” said Lustig, a professor of pediatrics, in the division of endocrinology at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and director of the Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Program at UCSF.

“There are good calories and bad calories, just as there are good fats and bad fats, good amino acids and bad amino acids, good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates,”  Lustig said. “But sugar is toxic beyond its calories.”

Limiting the consumption of sugar has challenges beyond educating people about its potential toxicity. “We recognize that there are cultural and celebratory aspects of sugar,” said Brindis, director of UCSF’s Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. “Changing these patterns is very complicated”

According to Brindis, effective interventions can’t rely solely on individual change, but instead on environmental and community-wide solutions, similar to what has occurred with alcohol and tobacco, that increase the likelihood of success.

The authors argue for society to shift away from high sugar consumption, the public must be better informed about the emerging science on sugar.

“There is an enormous gap between what we know from science and what we practice in reality,” said Schmidt, professor of health policy at UCSF’s Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS) and co-chair of UCSF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s (CTSI) Community Engagement and Health Policy Program, which focuses on alcohol and addiction research.

“In order to move the health needle, this issue needs to be recognized as a fundamental concern at the global level,” she said.

The paper was made possible with funding from UCSF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, UCSF’s National Institutes of Health-funded program that helps accelerate clinical and translational research through interdisciplinary, interprofessional and transdisciplinary work.

Many of the interventions that have reduced alcohol and tobacco consumption can be models for addressing the sugar problem, such as levying special sales taxes, controlling access, and tightening licensing requirements on vending machines and snack bars that sell high sugar products in schools and workplaces.

“We’re not talking prohibition,” Schmidt said. “We’re not advocating a major imposition of the government into people’s lives. We’re talking about gentle ways to make sugar consumption slightly less convenient, thereby moving people away from the concentrated dose. What we want is to actually increase people’s choices by making foods that aren’t loaded with sugar comparatively easier and cheaper to get.”

UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. For further information, please visit http://www.ucsf.edu/.

A report by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) revealed that many airport restaurants are adding healthier options to their menus. A group of PCRM dieticians reviewed the food served at some of the busiest airports in the United States and scored their findings. According to their report, the average score in 2001 was 57 percent. That number has risen to 83 percent, which is encouraging news to travelers.

The score was was determined by dividing the number of restaurants offering at least one healthful option by the total number of restaurants. Airports that do not serve entrées, such as snack food kiosks and small coffee shops, were not included in the review. A restaurant was rated as “healthful” if it served at least one low-fat, high-fiber, cholesterol free breakfast, lunch, or dinner entrée.

WINNER: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport received a score of 100 percent and topped the list for the third year in a row. The report states, “Despite the variety of healthful options at many airports, high-fat, high-cholesterol foods are still abundant. Terminals at Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta are clogged with eateries serving hot dogs, fried chicken, and pizza. Many restaurants at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport offer only burgers or other greasy bar food.”

Detailed Review
Following is a summary of what PCRM nutrition experts found at each airport, ranked from best to worst:

1. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – 100%
Healthful Restaurants – 59
Total Restaurants – 59
Detroit tops the list for the third year in a row. It’s the only airport in the history of PCRM’s report to receive a perfect score—twice. Every restaurant at the airport offers at least one healthful entrée, such as a veggie burrito (hold the cheese) at Diego’s Mexican Cantina, the black bean burger at Slapshotz, and the hummus and veggie platter at the Heineken Bar.

2. San Francisco International Airport – 96%
Healthful Restaurants – 65
Total Restaurants – 68
San Francisco lags slightly behind Detroit in second place for the third year. But its score continues to ascend—up from 95 percent last year. Hungry travelers can enjoy the organic smoky split pea soup with a hummus and veggie wrap at the San Francisco Soup Company or a beet salad, tofu wrap, quinoa bowl, or udon noodles at Plant Café and Pinkberry.

3. Washington Dulles International Airport – 92%
Healthful Restaurants – 35
Total Restaurants – 38
Dulles was last year’s most improved airport. It gains just three points this year and climbs from fourth to third place. Options for health-conscious passengers include the grilled veggie sandwich (hold the cheese) at Harry’s Tap Room and pasta with marinara sauce at Famous Famiglia.

4. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – 86%
Healthful Restaurants – 57
Total Restaurants – 66
Minneapolis gained a point this year, moving up from sixth place last year. Diners seeking cholesterol-free meals can enjoy the organic oatmeal (ordered with soymilk) or the roasted beet and pear salad (hold the cheese) at French Meadow Bakery and Café or the smoked tofu burrito or wrap with Cajun, Thai, or teriyaki flavors at 360 Gourmet.

5. (tie) Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport – 83%
Healthful Restaurants – 82
Total Restaurants – 99
DFW drops a point from last year, but moves up to fifth place. Health-conscious travelers can find healthful options, including the poblano, potato, and zucchini taco (hold the cheese) at Urban Taco and the falafel wrap or three-bean chili at Ufood Grill.

5. (tie) Las Vegas McCarran International Airport – 83%
Healthful Restaurants – 48
Total Restaurants – 58
Las Vegas continues its impressive climb, gaining six points and moving from 11th to fifth place. In 2010, it gained 11 points and moved up from its 2009 position in last place. A smoked tofu burrito is available at 360 Gourmet and a vegan wrap with hummus is available at more than 10 of the restaurants operated by the HMSHost, including Bar One, Home Turf
Sports Bar, and Wipeout Willy’s.

6. (tie) Denver International Airport – 82%
Healthful Restaurants – 46
Total Restaurants – 56
It was a turbulent year for Denver, which dropped six points—after a gain of eight points last year. Filling, low-fat choices include the veggie burger at the Boulder Beer Tap House, the portobello mushroom sandwich (ask for no cheese) at the Colorado Sports Bar, and the Colorado Sunshine Wrap or the tofu wrap at Itza Wrap! Itza Bowl!

6. (tie) Miami International Airport – 82%
Healthful Restaurants – 60
Total Restaurants – 73
Miami International Airport gained a point from last year, moving from eighth place to sixth place. Visitors can try the hummus platter at Beaudevin and the Unique veggie burger or the Asian veggie salad bowl at The Counter.

7. (tie) Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport – 81%
Healthful Restaurants – 46
Total Restaurants – 57
Phoenix gains a point, making a slight recovery from last year’s seven point drop. Just 46 of the airport’s 57 restaurants offer a healthful, cholesterol-free entrée. Low-fat meals include the chopped Mediterranean salad, hummus appetizer, and bruschetta (hold the cheese on each) at Barfly and the veggie rice bowl or burrito (hold the cheese on both) at Blue Burrito.

7. (tie) Charlotte Douglas International Airport – 81%
Healthful Restaurants – 39
Total Restaurants – 48
Charlotte is this year’s most improved airport. It made a huge jump from 12th place last year with a score of 72 percent. The airport still has room for improvement, but many of its eateries do offer a healthful, cholesterol-free meal option. Health-conscious passengers can choose the veggie burger at Stock Car Café and the portobello mushroom and red pepper sandwich (hold the cheese) at the Carolina Beer Co.

8. Orlando International Airport – 80%
Healthful Restaurants – 33
Total Restaurants – 41
Orlando maintains its 2010 score of 80 percent, but still climbs from ninth to eighth place. Hungry travelers seeking heart healthy fare should try the vegetarian lentil chili at McCoy’s Bar and Grill or the vegetarian sandwich at ZaZa’s Cuban Café.

9. (tie) Los Angeles International Airport – 76%
Healthful Restaurants – 42
Total Restaurants – 55
This celebrity hotspot drops from eighth to ninth place this year, losing five points from last year’s score. Healthful highlights include the Vegetarian Works pizza (hold the cheese) at Malibu Al’s, vegetable sushi rolls at Sushi Boy, and the roasted pepper and eggplant sandwich at Brioche Dorée.

9. (tie) Baltimore/Washington International Airport – 76%
Healthful Restaurants – 31
Total Restaurants – 41
BWI declined slightly from last year’s score of 79 percent. Thirty-one of the airport’s 41 eateries now offer low-fat, cholesterol-free entrées. The Silver Diner remains the best bet for savvy travelers. It offers a portobello vegetarian stir-fry with tofu, veggies, and wheat noodles in teriyaki sauce, as well as a summer salad and a veggie chili with kidney beans, mushrooms, carrots, and squash.

10. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport – 75%
Healthful Restaurants – 27
Total Restaurants – 36
This airport made the second biggest gain this year—eight points—helping it move out of its last place position in 2010. Hungry passengers should search for meals such as the Asian peanut-tofu wrap at Hudson Aero Mart and Hudson Euro Café or the balsamic garden panini with squash and zucchini (request no cheese) at National Airport Grill. Many other eateries only offer burgers and other greasy bar food.

11. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – 71%
Healthful Restaurants – 64
Total Restaurants – 90
Atlanta’s airport—the world’s busiest—fell to last place this year. Terminals are clogged with restaurants serving hot dogs, fried chicken, and pizza. But travelers looking for healthful meals can find a few choices, including spicy tofu made with vegetarian broth at Asian Chao, burritos or tacos with black beans, pinto beans, or tofu crumbles and grilled veggies (hold the cheese) at Moe’s Southwest Grill, or Bistro Del Sol’s Mediterranean Trio: hummus, tabouli, and stuffed grape leaves.

All information for this story from PCRM Airport Food Review 2011.