Another year has gone by and here we are again. It’s up to you, 2009 can be the best year of your life, or it can be another year where the resolutions go out the window. This time, hold yourself accountable – write it down. What are your resolutions for this year? How many times have you had the same resolutions before?

This is your year,

Dr. Snyder

January is the time for New Year’s resolutions. For many people, the main resolution is to lose weight and get in shape. However, the FDA has recently come out with a list of nearly 30 weight-loss products that may contain harmful ingredients. Be careful. Know what you are putting in your body, and stay away from the products below:

Fatloss Slimming, 2 Day Diet, 3x Slimming Power, 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming, 3 Day Diet Japan Lingzhi, 24 Hours Diet, 7 Diet Day/Night Formula, 7 Day Herbal Slim, 8 Factor Diet, 999 Fitness Essence, Extrim Plus and GMP, Imelda Perfect Slim, Lida DaiDaihua, Miaozi Slim Capsules, Perfect Slim, Perfect Slim 5x, Phyto Shape, ProSlim Plus, Royal Slimming Formula, Slim 3 in 1, Slim Express 360, Slimtech, Somotrin, Superslim, TripleSlim, Zhen de Shou and Venom Hyperdrive 3.0.

Happy Holidays,

Dr. Snyder

Navigating holiday parties is like being on safari – and not in a good way. At every turn, there is something lurking, waiting to jump out at you. But in this case, it’s not a lion or panther, it’s cheese dip and cookies. One of the most popular “party tricks” is to eat before you go to holiday parties to make sure you don’t overindulge, but that is assuming that you are only going to eat if you are hungry, which isn’t always the case.

It can be difficult to say “no thank you” when you are trying to relax and partake in some holiday cheer, but there is still hope! Whether you are hosting the party, or just bringing an a la carte dish to another, you can at least make sure your holiday dish is healthy. That way, you know there will be at least one thing you can snack on without feeling guilty. Check out the recipe below from MedicineNet.com for a healthy, delicious spinach dip.

Best Spinach Dip Recipe

This is a light rendition of that colorful and tasty party staple, the spinach-dip-stuffed sourdough round. You can make the dip and carve out the sourdough round a day ahead of time. Keep the bread in extra-large resealable bag and the dip, covered, in the refrigerator. Then fill the bread “bowl” with dip just before the party. (If you like, skip the bread bowl and serve with slices of whole-wheat sourdough or French bread, or with whole-grain trackers

Ingredients:
• 1/3 cup real mayonnaise
• 2 1/3 cup fat-free or light sour cream (whichever brand you find tastes best)
• 1 box dry leek soup mix or vegetable soup mix (1.8 ounce)
• 1 cup finely chopped jicama
• 10 ounce package frozen, chopped spinach (thaw, drain, and squeeze out excess water)
• 1 pound round loaf of sourdough bread (or similar type)

Preparation:
In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, leek soup mix, jicama, and chopped spinach. Chill in the refrigerator 6 hours or overnight. Remove top and interior of sourdough bread round, making a bowl. Fill with spinach mixture. Cut the carved-out bread top into bite-sized cubes for dipping. Serve the spinach dip-filled bread bowl with the bread cubes.

Yield:
Makes 1 bread bowl (about 16 appetizer servings, 1/3 cup of dip each).

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 161 calories, 5.5 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 4.5 g fat (0.8 g saturated fat, 1.4 g monounsaturated fat, 2.1 g polyunsaturated fat), 3 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 295 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 26%.

Dr. Snyder

New York Governor David Patterson is planning on presenting a $4 billion tax plan on Tuesday that would include an unprecedented “obesity tax.” The proposed 15 percent tax would be applied to high-calorie drinks such as regular soda, but exclude such beverages as milk, juice, diet soda and water. According to Patterson’s camp, the tax would generate nearly $404 million a year – a hefty sum that would definitely help the current $15 billion deficit. I’m interested to hear feedback on this issue. Do you think this is a good idea, or is it a slippery slope to be taxing personal health choices? What do you think?

Dr. Snyder

The hype this week surrounding Oprah Winfrey’s ups and downs with dieting really brings up an interesting fact: it doesn’t matter how much money and how many resources you might have, it’s not easy. Making the decision to get healthy is incredibly difficult; it’s truly a lifestyle change and a commitment. I wish her the best of luck in her journey to get healthy and commend her for apologizing to her loyal fans for “not walking the walk.” What do you think about Oprah’s weight struggle and how the media has handled it?

Dr. Snyder

The holidays are a notorious catalyst for overeating, weight-gain and, in general, having a little too much fun. However, while doesn’t seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, there are some real dangers looming.

According to a University of California-San Diego study cited by Vanderbilt Medical Center, heart attacks and strokes actually increase over the holidays. There is a noticeable rise in December and January, with significant influxes on both Christmas Day and New Years Day.

According to Vanderbilt doctors, there are many reasons why this spike occurs. One of the main reasons is that the hectic holiday months cause people to skip medications and ignore symptoms that they might have otherwise checked-out. And of course, the increase in unhealthy food and alcohol consumption doesn’t help either.

So, over the holidays, make sure you take care of yourself and enjoy your families.

Dr. Snyder

I know, I know the words “healthy holiday cookies” seem like an oxymoron, but there really are some delicious and nutritious recipes out there that can help you curb your holiday sweet tooth. The winner of Eating Well’s 2008 Cookie Contest, Frances Van Vynckt’s Angel Delights are both delightful and angelic due to their healthy nutritional rap sheet.

Check out the recipe below – and you don’t even have to bake anything!

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates (8 ounces)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups toasted rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
1 cup shredded coconut

1. Combine butter, sugar and dates in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted, the sugar is no longer white and the dates are mostly melted, 8 to 15 minutes. The mixture should be a shiny, brown sticky mass. Remove from the heat.
2. Add salt, vanilla, cereal and coconut; stir well to combine.
3. When cool enough to handle, squeeze and roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until chilled.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per cookie: 52 calories; 2 g fat (1 g sat, 0 g mono); 3 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 15 mg sodium; 39 mg potassium.

Dr. Snyder

With some weight-loss supplements, you really never know what you are going to get and that is why it is so important to be an informed consumer. That being said, the FDA recently issued a warning to consumers who might have taken two supplements: StarCaps and Zhen De Shou Fat Loss Capsules. Both supplements were found to have prescription drugs in them and could cause harm to certain consumers. Check out this article on the Examiner for more information and be careful!

Dr. Snyder

I’m sure this is a crazy week for most of you, but don’t forget to take the time to relax, breathe and enjoy the time with your family. When you feel the stress coming on, get outside and take a walk. Also, if you have a minute, check out some of these interesting Thanksgiving myths and tips from The Salt Lake Tribune. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Dr. Snyder