NBC’s Hit Weight-Loss Series “The Biggest Loser”  Launching Nationwide Search For New Contestants

Season Twelve Auditions for Teams of Two and Individuals to be Held in Indianapolis, Nashville, New York City, Portland, Denver, Minneapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles.

“The Biggest Loser” is launching a cross-country search to find new contestants for the next edition of the hit show. Individuals and teams of two who have at least 100 lbs. to lose are encouraged to apply for the new season, which will air in the fall of 2011.

Casting producers are looking for outgoing and charismatic teams of two and individuals who have the personality, desire and competitive edge to vie for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lose weight, change their lives forever and compete for a grand prize of $250,000.

Candidates must be at least 18 years of age and legal residents of the United States.

While they will try to see everyone, “The Biggest Loser” casting teams will do their best to see the first 500 people in line.

People will not be allowed to line up prior to three hours before the start of the open call. Candidates should bring a non-returnable photo of themselves (and their partners if applying as a team). (more…)

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – February 22, 2011 — NBC issued pickups for three returning alternative series in 2011-12 in “The Biggest Loser,” “Who Do You Think You Are?” and the singing competition series “The Sing-Off.”  The announcement was made today by Bob Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment.

“Alternative series such as these three bona fide hits are important not only to their loyal audiences but also as strong components of the NBC schedule,” said Greenblatt. “They are each unique, attention-getting shows with terrific producing and talent auspices, and we’re proud to be associated with them.”

The Biggest Loser

“The Biggest Loser 10” averaged a 3.1 rating, 8 share in adults 18-49 and 8.3 million viewers overall in the fall and “The Biggest Loser 11” is averaging a 3.3/9 in 18-49 and 9.0 million viewers overall so far this winter. “The Biggest Loser” is NBC’s #1 entertainment series among women 18-49 and women 25-54. The series consistently over-indexes in upscale demos. (more…)

Celebrities are often applauded by the media for how fast they shed pregnancy pounds, diet into teeny bikinis or get instantly thin for a movie or music tour.

While nutritionists worry about celebrities diets triggering anorexic behaviors in young women, there is a new danger for women in their 30s and 40s known as orthorexia.

While anorexia is severe restriction of any type of food and bulimia is the need to immediately purge food binges, orthorexia is an eating disorder tied to obsession over the purity of the food that enters the body.

Orthorexics often avoid entire food groups in order to lose weight.  Many of these entire food groups are essential to eating a balanced nutritional plan,.

Nutritionists highlight celebrity fads such as the blood group diet, which is advertised by Cheryl Cole, and the Maple Syrup detox diet, used by Beyonce and Naomi Campbell as two diets which might trigger orthorexia in some people.  Those on the maple syrup diet consume little else, but sugary water. This has none of the protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals needed to remain healthy. (more…)

Actress and Singer Tisha Campbell Martin Encourages Healthy Lifestyles for African-American Women By Joining With Yoplait®

Yoplait® Today Campaign Promotes Healthy Choices in the New Year

In an effort to encourage African-American women to take charge of their health by making beneficial food and lifestyle choices,  Yoplait teamed up with actress and singer Tisha Campbell Martin to roll out a new campaign, Yoplait Today.

The campaign, designed to encourage women to embrace a new year and a new self, will include Campbell Martin in radio spots and print and digital advertisements as part of a partnership with Essence.com.

In addition to the advertisements, Campbell Martin will also contribute weekly blogs to a special online community at Essence.com through February, updating readers on practical ways to incorporate the health & wellness theme into their own lives. (more…)

Edible flowers can impress even the most skeptical of dinner guests.  Not only are they pretty, they’re very appetizing.  You can either grow your own flowers from seeds or buy them from your local nursery.

Keep in mind that not all flowers are edible.  Also, never eat flowers from lawns or roadside or from florist and nurseries unless they are clearly labeled edible.  It’s also important to avoid flowers which have been sprayed with pesticide.

Grow Your Own Edible Flowers

If you want to grow your own edible flowers bill a clean pot with soil, organic fertilizer and add the seeds.

Water appropriately and place in a sunny spot.  The advantage of growing your own edible flowers is that you can harvest them as soon as they bloom and they will be very fresh.  Plus you will have the pride of growing the flowers yourself. (more…)

I used to live for my morning cup of coffee at Starbucks until a year ago when my body decided it didn’t like my coffee so much.  Yes, I tried decaf and a wide range of blends to no avail.

After mourning the loss of my favorite hot drink I decided to switch to hot tea.  It took a little getting used to, but now I’m a huge fan.

Imagine how thrilled I was to discover that cardiology researcher Mark Klein, Ph.D. advocates black tea for preventing heart attacks.

Why?  According to Klein the “antioxidants make arteries 11% wider and prevent dangerous blood clots from forming.”  Just three cups a day is thought to cut your risk by as much as 60%.

Other cardiology researchers say that for black tea to help prevent dangerous blood clots its important to dunk your teabag up and down while it’s steeping to help release the maximum amount of heart-healthy antioxidants.  Scientists found that tea bags dunked continuously for three minutes release as much as five times as many heart-healthy antioxidants. (more…)

Studies have shown that healthy beautiful hair and skin is directly linked to getting a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis.  There are a lot of other great benefits to getting a good night’s sleep including increased energy, an enhanced ability to focus and an improved metabolism.

The amount of sleep needed each night varies widely with each person. Every person needs a set amount of sleep in order to be fully rested and alert during the day. Research has shown when healthy adults are allowed to sleep unrestricted, the average time slept is 8 to 8.5 hours. Some people need more while others need less.

Unfortunately not everyone can easily fall asleep and sleep for a full night.  Studies have shown women in their 30s often struggle to fall asleep and sleep soundly all night because of hormonal swings.  Hormones can and do interfere with traditional sleep patterns.

Listed below are some suggestions for getting to sleep and achieving uninterrupted sweep all night long:

1. Eat to sleep

Tryptophan-rich foods such as warm milk, turkey, bananas, oats and honey will all help the body fall into a deep slumber. (more…)

Flax seeds known as linum usitatissimum are chock full of alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3 essential fatty acids), lignans (phytochemicals), vitamins and hair strengthening magnesium. The nutty seeds consist of healthy fats and soluble fibers.

Flax seed oil is known for providing a number of health benefits including reducing stress-induced nerve-cell activity which can lead to chronic neck-pain, tight scalp and tension headaches.   A tension filled scalp can lead to stressed roots. limp coils, curls and kinks as well as unhealthy strands.

The essential fatty acids in flax seed oil can contribute to healthy hair growth along with enhanced shine and softness.

(Images provided by celebrity hairdresser Barbara Lhotan – All Rights Reserved)

Flaxseed oil applied as an external hair and scalp ointment can produce a notable difference in retarding hair loss as well as strengthening the hair.  When used as a scalp oil, flaxseed nourishes the scalp helping to produce vibrant strong strands with great shimmer.

It also adds much needed moisturizing oils from the inside out.  Naturally textured hair benefits most from dryness busting ingredients.  (more…)

With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner life can become so busy and crazy it can zap even the best energy reserves. When life gets hectic consider incorporating some of the following energy boosting tricks:

1. Start the day with an energy infused shower. Select a peppermint enriched body wash, gel, lotion or hair cream to start your day with a natural boost.

Peppermint’s powerful aroma has been proven to activate an area in the brain that controls alertness.

[amazon-product text=”Dr. Bronners Peppermint 8 oz.” type=”text”]B000141FTK[/amazon-product]

Consider finishing your shower with a quick blast of cool or cold water which naturally amps up your circulation and makes you feel instantly invigorated.

2. Take the time to start every day with a healthy breakfast. While you might be tempted to grab a quick donut or other high fat food, opt for fiber rich foods which balance your blood sugar and give you balanced energy. (more…)

Maura Kelly caused a firestorm with her Marie Claire blog regarding how she felt distaste for the overweight couple, Mike and Molly, on the hit CBS show by the same name.

Maura later apologized for expressing her opinion because she was accused of being a bully and received thousands of hate filled comments on her blog. There was even a call on the web for a boycott of Marie Claire magazine for allowing Maura’s blog to remain.

(Image of Molly with her sister and Mother – CBS.com – All Rights Reserved)

Putting all the issues of obesity aside, how realistic is the story of Mike and Molly? Is Overeater’s Anonymous really a great place to meet the potential love of your life? Can two people dealing with the many challenges food addiction brings put them aside to live happily ever after?

I personally went to my first Overeater’s Anonymous (OA) Meeting on a Friday morning in a well-known Dallas church meeting room in 1988. I don’t remember much about my first time other than the fact I alternated between silently crying and sobbing throughout the entire hour. I was too afraid to admit it was my first time and thankfully no one pushed me to talk. At the end of the meeting one woman gave me a hug and simply said “please keep coming back.”

It was hard for me to really accept that fact that I had been battling an eating disorder that cycled through phases of starving, purging and overeating since I was 13 years old. It was even more traumatic to realize I had a real disease. Yes, any type of eating disorder is a disease and the people who suffer are ill.

Luckily with the help of the OA program, a great sponsor (thank you Nancy) and years of therapy I have achieved many years of serenity and recovery from my food addiction. (more…)