Lizzo reveals meal plan that helped her achieve weight loss goal
Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, 37, in a cover story for Women's Health's latest issue, opened up about her physical health journey and revealed the routine she followed to "release" 16% of her body fat.
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To achieve her goal, Lizzo detailed in the interview published online July 1 that her meals consist mainly of protein and vegetables.
For breakfast, her go-to option is two scrambled eggs, chicken sausage and a cauliflower hash brown.
For lunch, the Grammy-winning artist switches between shredded Thai chicken salad, lettuce wraps stuffed with tuna and sliced chicken breast.
As for dinner, which she eats at 5 p.m., Lizzo prefers to stick with the same one: a turkey meatloaf with cauliflower mashed potatoes and green beans.
"I have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), so my body needs time to digest food before I go to sleep, so acid doesn't roll up to my throat," Lizzo explained about her early dinner.
GERD, according to Mayo Clinic, is "when stomach acid flows back up into the esophagus and causes heartburn."
Other symptoms include backwash of food or sour liquid in the throat, upper belly or chest pain and trouble swallowing.
A snack for Lizzo typically is low-sugar Greek yogurt with blueberries or blackberries and a little honey on top and she's traded multiple Frappuccinos a day for one cup of coffee with vanilla protein.
TikTok has banned #SkinnyTok: Will it make a difference?
However, at the same time, Lizzo says she does give into her cravings, occasionally indulging in a waffle with chicken tenders, crab legs, or a coconut cream–filled doughnut.
'There's a balance,' she says of her food choices. 'I think that's what true health is.'
Lizzo, in January 2025, had announced she had achieved her "weight release goal," revealing she had lowered her body mass index (BMI) by 10.5 and lost 16% of her body fat since January 2023.
The artist, in the interview, shared her journey toward health started after she was hit with a series of sexual harassment and weight shaming allegations, which she referred to as 'a shocking, really hurtful accusation,' during the summer of 2023. Lizzo has maintained innocence, and the case is ongoing in Los Angeles Superior Court. In December 2024, her name was dropped from a harassment lawsuit, USA TODAY previously reported.
Lizzo told the magazine she did not take weight loss drug Ozempic during her journey, though she contemplated weight loss surgery and cosmetic procedures like a tummy tuck. While she chose not to go that route, she doesn't condemn it.
The rapper had earlier also slammed allegations that she was taking Ozempic.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lizzo reveals the three meals she ate to 'release' 16% body fat
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24 minutes ago
- CNN
How Surgeons Balance Hope with Honesty - Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:00:01 'Welcome to Chasing Life. Today I'd like to start with a quick story, a very personal one for me. It was Christmas Eve, 1993 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, snowy night. It was my first year out of medical school. I was an intern in the surgery department there at Michigan. And that night I happened to be taking care of a very sick elderly gentleman who had started to develop some fluid in his chest. I was doing a procedure known as a thoracentesis. You basically put a needle into the chest to try and drain the fluid. It's a commonly done procedure and relatively simple if you know what you're doing. And frankly by that point in my training, I was sort of a pro at thoracentesis. I knew how to do it just by the book. But for whatever reason, something went wrong that night. There was bleeding, and the patient had to be rushed off to the operating room. Again, this is Christmas Eve. I had already been in the hospital for a full day, full night, and now another full day. But I couldn't allow myself to leave. I needed to see what would happen to this man. Well, he came back from the operating and then developed something known as coagulopathy. That means his blood would not clot. Sometimes that can happen when you have a lot of bleeding. It can be this really vicious cycle. And it was for him. Because a day later... Now I'm telling you this because 32 years later in my life, if you look up in the top right drawer of my desk in my office, you're only gonna find a single piece of paper, I've only allowed one piece of paper into that drawer, and that is the autopsy report on that patient. I know that sounds grim, and I don't mean to make it sound that way, but it's just my reality. I'm not exactly sure why I keep it, but I think it's because it's a reminder. It's a remind of what this job entails and how it can truly humble you. I believe that that reminder makes me a better physician. I think about that guy all the time. And I was thinking about this story when I read the new memoir of my guest today, Dr. David Sandberg. He's a retired pediatric neurosurgeon at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. And he has a new book. It's called Brain and Heart, The Triumphs and Struggles of a Pediatric Neurosurgeon. And I wanted to share it with you today because I think it offers a really powerful glimpse into the mind of a surgeon. I asked him to come on the podcast to share that glimpse with you. How do surgeons make decisions? How do we carry the weight of those decisions? How does a doctor like David? Who meets children and parents at their absolutely worst times in life? How does he navigate all the good and all the tough that that job has to offer? How does land on hope with all that? I think there's a lot of lessons in this conversation that extend way beyond medicine. These are questions I think about our very humanity. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, and this is Chasing Life. You start the book, I gotta say, everyone should read this book. Whether you're interested in neuroscience or neurosurgery or not, you should read the book because I think these are incredible human stories. And I have three teenagers. So when I start reading about a 15-year-old named Garrett, right out of the gates, the story starts. It grabbed me. And I'm wondering if you can just transport us to that point. You get a call about this child. Talk us through what happens. Dr. David Sandberg 00:04:02 Garrett was riding an ATV without a helmet. It flipped over. He hit his head. He was unconscious. He was transported by helicopter to our hospital. He had a CT scan that showed what is a very simple problem, and I chose his case because it's so simple. We have much more complicated decisions to make than Garrett's case. This is a straightforward bread and butter epidural hematoma, a blood clot between the skull and the dura, which is the leathery covering of the brain. The problem was, when I examined him, I didn't initially detect any neurological function. His pupils were large and unreactive, a terrible sign. When I put a piece of gauze to touch his cornea, he had no corneal reflex. When I pinched him as hard as I could, he didn't move at all. And I was afraid that he had progressed to brain death. And I pinch him hard as could multiple times, not to be mean, but to assess for neurological function, and the very last time I did ... He had slight, what we call extensor posturing, where his arms went straight ahead, a sign of a severe brain injury, but a sign that he had some life. And then the question was what to do. And I wound up taking him to surgery, we saved his life, and I just had a book event in Houston and he was there, and he's amazing. He's perfect, he has no neurological problems. And I get to be the hero, but his case has haunted me because I advised his parents. I said if he were my child, I would not take him to surgery. I think the likely outcome is he's gonna progress to brain death or be neurologically absolutely devastated, not the child you've known or loved. And what a mistake I almost made. His case haunts me and I wonder, I can't think of examples, but have I made mistakes like that that I could have saved a life and didn't? I don't know the answer to that question. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:05:48 That is, that's existential sort of thinking there. The idea that you then reflect on other cases and say, let me think through my decision tree. Did I make the right decision based on everything? You made the right decisions. Obviously, Garrett did really well. I think you're write about the fact that he became an athlete, was on the golf team, and obviously nuclear power, studying nuclear power. He works in nuclear power Dr. David Sandberg 00:06:10 He works in a nuclear power plant, he's happy, he is perfect, you would never know anything happened to him. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:06:18 What's the lesson? What's lesson for other people who will read the book? What's a lesson for the physicians? Dr. David Sandberg 00:06:24 There are so many lessons. One lesson is that, you know, I think the public thinks that everything we do is based upon good science. The brain is so precise. We have so many tools at our disposal, technology to use, but the decisions we make are uncertain and they're not all made with our brains. Some of them are made with our gut or maybe with our heart. And of course, I'm not talking about the heart as the organ that pumps blood through the body. I'm talking about the heart as the center of... Metaphysically of love, of emotion, and uncertainty. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:06:59 How explicit do you think physicians should be when they're guiding a family through this question of whether to operate or not? So you know that the family is going to ask you you're obviously the expert what should we do should we operate or no and as you point out with Garret's case the the initial instinct was not to operate because I think the concern as you're sort of describing it now and in the book is that are you prolonging his death? Are you extending his life? How do you, how do you convey that to a family? Dr. David Sandberg 00:07:32 'It's hard. I mean, in terms of the parents, you know, there are some cases that are very black and white where they would be wrong to deny surgery or be wrong to do surgery. The hard ones are the gray ones. And I think you got to just be honest. You got to say, listen, this is gray. This could go terribly. He could progress to brain death or, perhaps, he might not be the child that you've known and loved and raised. We might do this operation and save his life, and he may never talk or walk again, may never be the same child you've loved, may not understand commands when spoken to, may be fed by tubes and require 24-7 nursing care. There are some who would want that at all costs. They want their child to be alive, and that's okay. There are many who wouldn't for their loved one, and that's OK too. So you have to have the honest conversation and convey the uncertainty. And I tried to do that with Garrett's parents. I told them, I'm not sure. I'm sure what the right thing is to do here. I haven't seen anybody in Garrett's exact circumstance have as good of an outcome as he has had. For every Garrett, there are many, many children who are neurologically devastated, who you wonder, did you do the right thing operating? And so, there is no right answer. You just have to convey the truth. In most circumstances, parents don't have a lot of time to make a decision. It's their whole world. And they will ask you to do everything that is possible to save their child's life. And it's a judgment call whether to proceed with surgery or not in many circumstances. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:09:00 There is a inflection point between hope and honesty. And they both have value. Honesty has obvious value, objective intrinsic value. I have come to believe that hope has value in and of itself as well, just as a sort of another thing to add into the mix. Just hope, maybe hope leads to better outcomes. Hard to objectify that, but I think there's something there. As a pediatric neurosurgeon, how do you find that balance between hope and honesty? Dr. David Sandberg 00:09:32 I try not to take away hope, except when there is no hope. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:09:36 In Garrett's case, it did feel like there was no hope, I mean, he essentially had an exam that revealed that he was brain dead. So it was very, very difficult to find hope there I imagine. Dr. David Sandberg 00:09:52 'By the grace of God, I pinched him one last time and got some slight neurological function and his brain looked good on the CT and I thought maybe we should give him a chance. This is what his parents want and so we went ahead and did that. My biggest interest within neurosurgery has been in pediatric neuro-oncology in children with malignant brain tumors. I find hope so important in those circumstances. I've taken care of many children who've been told that their brain tumor is incurable at this point and they should pursue palliative care. And we've enrolled some children like that in some of our clinical trials. And some of those patients have gained extra months or even years of life. Most of them have failed miserably. And we did provide hope to some families. And I think that hope was important, even if the ultimate outcome is the child died because the family felt as if they left no stone unturned. And that hope, even if temporary, was incredibly meaningful to them. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:10:54 Yeah, it's tough. These are big topics that we're sort of delving into, but the idea of preserving life at all costs versus being the honest broker as a pediatric neurosurgeon and saying, look, life is the ultimate goal, obviously, here, but let me lay down some of the scenarios of what may happen. These are brutal conversations to have with people. You do it all the time as a pediatric neurosurge, and I do it sometimes as well as an adult neurosurgery, but these are tough conversations. Dr. David Sandberg 00:11:24 Yeah, and the hard thing is that, you know, families deserve days to weeks to make those decisions. But in an acute setting, you've got minutes, you know, because if you are going to take out that blood clot, you better do it quickly because time is brain. It matters how quickly you get that blood clot out and take the pressure off the brain. So imagine you're a parent and you have to make that decision, which has so much And you have no time to do it. You have no time to call a friend. You have no time to, you know, get advice from anybody except for the nurse who you've literally just met two seconds ago. It's an impossible situation for parents. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:12:06 You train residents and obviously teach medical students. Now, do you explicitly teach them about this? The idea of having these tough conversations, is that trainable? Dr. David Sandberg 00:12:17 Oh, it certainly is. You know, I received no training in any time in my medical career on how to have a difficult conversation with family. I take that responsibility very seriously. I'm in academic medicine. Every time I have a conversation with a family that is going to be a difficult conversation, I look around and I grab the nearest resident medical student, whoever's the youngest person, and I come with me and I tell them what I'm going to say as I'm walking quickly into the room. Afterwards, first I check on them to make sure they're okay, and then I tell them these conversations are really important. You should absorb the things that I did that you think are positive and maybe some of the things struck you the wrong way, but you should watch other people have these difficult conversations with families and take the best of what you see and discard the worst and develop your own style, but think very carefully about how you're going to talk to a family who's undergoing the worst tragedy and imagine yourself and their shoes. Yeah, I take that responsibility incredibly seriously. I hope that's something I've done over the course of the decades for a number of people. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:13:23 'I'm talking with pediatric neurosurgeon and author, Dr. David Sandberg. We'll be right back. I am curious, going back to Garrett's story, first thing you said was, you know, you get this call about a 15-year-old who was ejected from an ATV not wearing a helmet. You threw that into the first line of the description. So when you hear not wearing a helmet, what's the first thing that goes through your mind? Dr. David Sandberg 00:13:53 What a shame. As a neurosurgeon who's taken care of trauma patients for years, I haven't seen anyone who's had a devastating head injury who is wearing a helmet, but I've seen so many kids and adults who are riding bikes and are hit by cars and they hit their head on the pavement and they're never the same person or they die as a result of that injury. So some parents will tell me their teenager won't wear the helmet. I say, well, then take away the bicycle. You know, this is that important. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:14:22 Do you think that we do enough as a society to protect our children? I mean, you have this entire chapter of the book just basically about keeping children safe. So this is the preventative aspects of neurosurgery, right? You think about prevention and infectious diseases and primary care, but as neurosurgeons, we have to think about prevent as well. Helmets, seat belts, tackle football, keeping guns in the house. As a society, should we be doing more to keep our kids safe? Dr. David Sandberg 00:14:52 'We should be doing more and we're not doing enough, you know, gun safety is a big thing in Texas, you can argue about gun regulations and this and that, but I think one thing that everybody can agree upon is if you're going to have guns in your home, please lock them up in a safe that is away from children they have no access to. I've seen four-year-olds who have access to a gun who shoot themselves in the head and they die. I've seen, you know, a twin shoot his brother. These are kids under the age of 10. They have no idea what they're doing. They think it's a toy and that family is devastated. That kid will never be the same. How will he live with himself that he shot his twin brother? How do you recover from that? These are such preventable tragedies. Tackle football is a little more controversial. I think there are some things we can all agree on. We can talk about football if you wish, but I think some things we should all agree on bicycle helmets, gun safety, you know, things like that. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:15:52 Yeah, I just often struggle with with the idea that we do all these amazing things in medicine develop new therapeutics and new techniques and all that and yet sometimes we just don't get the little stuff, right? It breaks my heart when I see somebody who has a totally preventable injury and I've seen ATVs go cruising by you know and places that I've been and bunch of kids on there without helmets and it just makes my heart stop. And I don't know how to find that balance. I don't want to be the guy that goes out there and yells at him, you know, like get off my lawn, you know that kind of guy, but on the other hand, I feel like we're sort of obligated to do it and in a tough way. You have this another chapter in the book, the triumphs and struggles of a pediatric neurosurgeon. And we've talked a lot about this already, but what aspects of the job do you think you struggled with the most? What are you still bad at, if I can ask that? Dr. David Sandberg 00:16:52 I don't know what I'm bad at, but I think what I've struggled with the most is coming to terms with when a child is worse after surgery than before. You can take two children with brain tumors in the same location of the brain. You operate on one of them, they wake up perfectly. You get an MRI afterwards, the tumor's out, the parents are so grateful. Everything's wonderful. You can do the exact same operation. The next day in a child with an MRI that looks the same, the tumor's in the same location, and the child wakes up with a profound neurological deficit. And you wonder, I did the same operation in these two children. Why does one of them have this problem? And sometimes, if you're honest, you have an answer. You did something that you shouldn't have done. More often than not, you don't. And that's something that was hard to come to terms with. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:17:44 Yeah, that's got to be pretty profound. If you're that far in your career and you just think maybe it was me, if this patient had been cared for by somebody else, they wouldn't have had that sort of outcome. What do you do with that information then if you think that that might be the case? Dr. David Sandberg 00:17:58 I think there are some neurosurgeons who you might say, you have a terrible complication and you might you know what, I trained at the best places, I did my very best, there's nothing anybody else could have done differently and you kind of wash your hands of it, right? And you don't think further about it. I think if you take that attitude, you probably shouldn't be a neurosurgeon or a surgeon or maybe a doctor at all if you're that flippant about it. The other extreme is there are some who take so much shame and internalize it so. Harshly that they can't go on and do the next operation. They don't offer that difficult surgery to the next patient. And after going through all the years of training, I don't think that's doing anybody any favors either. I think there's a happy medium in between those two extremes. The happy medium is you have deep, honest reflection. I've lost a lot of sleep on nights that follow when a patient wakes up worse after surgery. And you're honest with yourself about every step of the process. Did I assess the case carefully? Was surgery the right thing to do? Did I choose the right surgical approach? Did I discuss the risks adequately with the family? Did I discussed the risk that actually happened? Did I make the right decisions in surgery? And then afterwards, you present that case in a morbidity and mortality conference, which is one of the most important things we do. It's very hard. Imagine yourself, you have the worst day of your life. And then that worst day of your life is presented with a room of 50 to 100 people. Your boss is in the room, there are students in the room, they're strangers, there people you don't know, and they outline the worst day in your life with pictures and video, and you have to sit there and listen and absorb it. It's actually hard to do, but it's such an important thing. And I learned so much. And ultimately, what I learned is, you know, I'm not going to not do a case because I'm worried it's going to end up in morbidity and mortality conference. I'm going to do the right thing for every child. And if there's a small amount of hope, if I can help someone, even if someone like Garrett would be a good example of that, there was a high probability of Garrett's case ending up in morbidity and mortality conference because there was high probability that him progressing to brain death or devastating outcome. And then somebody in that conference is going to say, Dr. Sandberg, why did you do that operation on that kid with blown pupils who had no neurologic status? But I was You know, morbidity and mortality conference was the farthest thing from my mind when making that difficult decision, but it's out there. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:20:22 'M&M, morbidity and mortality. Some institutions call it DNC, Death and Complications Conference. It is one of the more unique traditions, I think, in medicine where, as you say, people get up and talk about the worst sort of outcomes in their patients, and it's incredibly humbling. It's all done in the spirit of learning, I think for the individual to learn, but also everyone else in the room to learn from this. So these types of things don't happen again. I gotta tell you, going back to the story I told you at the beginning about this thoracentesis procedure I did, where again, putting a needle into the chest to drain fluid and the patient had bleeding. I had to present that, I was an intern, and it was presenting it to all the senior residents, chief residents, attendings, everyone else that was in the room. And I remember it was, I, was, you know, incredibly nervous up there, I'd never done that before. And I finished outlining the entire presentation of what exactly happened. And the room was just silent for, it felt like 10 minutes, but it was probably like 30 seconds or 15 seconds. And then Dr. Laser Greenfield, who was our chairman of surgery at the point, was sitting there sort of moderating. And he says to me, he goes, what size needle did you use for the thoracentesis? And I told him, I said, yes, I used this size needle. It's the same needle that comes in the kit, thoracentesis kit, the standard needle. A long pause and he says, the reason I ask is because when this exact same thing happened to me back when I was a resident, blah, blah blah blah. And I remember the air just came out of the room. Everyone just exhaled because it had happened to Dr. Lazer Greenfield, this exact thing. He had thrown me a lifeline in many ways, I think, just to sort of help me get over that because I wanted to quit. I was an intern and I thought maybe, maybe this isn't right for me. Maybe this field isn't right for me, I hurt somebody. And I'm not sure that I can bounce from that. But then, you know, you get a well-intentioned, well-meaning professor, I'm sure you've done this for your residents as well, who in their own way, throws you a lifeline and says, hey, it happens, you're a good doctor, you're gonna get beyond this and you're going to do a lot of good in the world. It's really important. Dr. David Sandberg 00:22:37 Oh yeah, I remember one of the most impactful experiences of my early residency, there was a patient who had had a spine surgery and the patient had a drain that needed to be pulled, a very simple procedure that's done by residents at the bedside, and I tried to pull out the drain and it snapped off and broke and that required a second operation and it was a very big deal because it was the patient who, you know, was very upset, had been through a lot. And it was gonna be hard to talk to her about it and she's gonna need another surgery. And I was young and it a mistake that I made. And the attending neurosurgeon, his name is Mark Bilsky, he was so kind to me, but he treated me with such kindness that I think it led to me being kinder to residents who made mistakes when I was the attending, when I the boss. And I'm so grateful to Dr. Bilsky for that. All right, let's see we get the Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:23:34 We get to give shout outs to our mentors here today as well. So Dr. Greenfield, if you're listening, Dr. Bilsky, if you're listening, you made an impact on us, you know, so we appreciate it. I just, we're getting close to the end here, but I just wanted this, this idea of finding that inflection point again, between hope and honesty. You talk a lot about this in the book, the power of hope. It drives parents to do these incredible things, search the world, travel the world in search of clinical trials, oftentimes at great personal expense. Children battling cancer inspires people to keep researching. Is hope always a good thing in medicine? Dr. David Sandberg 00:24:13 'It's hard to say, you know, I think, I'll give you one example where it's the most difficult, the most challenging. The worst disease I treat is called diffuse midline glioma. This is the equivalent or worse of pancreatic cancer in a child. It happens to children typically in the second half of the first decade of life. They have tumors that are intrinsic to the brainstem that cause the brain stem to swell. They're not amenable to surgical resection. You can't do surgery on them. Radiation therapy helps temporarily for a few months, but never cures anybody. And no chemotherapy drug alone or in combination has ever worked. And there are clinical trials that are available, but the overwhelming results of those clinical trials are disappointing. It's essentially a death sentence. And so is hope useful in that circumstance? I don't know. You know, I tell parents always that I am not God, and there are no 100 percents in life or in medicine. But in this circumstance, I know what's gonna happen. And I haven't seen a child be a long-term survivor of this particular condition. It doesn't eliminate anyone's hope. It doesn' eliminate their prayers. I don't know if it's well-served, but who am I to deny hope to a family, even in the very, very worst circumstance? Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:25:37 Yeah, as we talked about earlier, I think hope has intrinsic value. I do worry sometimes, David, that people prey on vulnerable families in those situations, offering up, quote unquote, miracle cures and things like that, oftentimes for their own profit motivations and things like that. And I think we do, as physicians, have to insulate from that. But it's challenging, because if you think, hey, I'm willing to do anything. Save my child. I'm willing to do anything even if it's got no data behind it or even negative data behind. I am willing to give it a shot. It's tough and I think sometimes as physicians obviously we're caring for them, we're operating on them, but I think we often have to be guiding them and their families as well as they navigate that. And I think one of the things that I do, I will just really empathetically try and put myself in their shoes. Just truly put myself in their shoes. And it's hard to do. That is my kid on the table. That is my kid who's in the office and say, what would I do? It's tough to sort of navigate that. Give us one last plug on the book. Why did you title it the way that you did? Dr. David Sandberg 00:26:52 So I titled, you know, it's called Brain and Heart, the Triumphs and Struggles of a Pediatric Neurosurgeon. I go through the triumphs, which are the amazing highs to save a child's life. You know, It's like saving the entire world and to do an operation and go out and tell a family that their loved one is gonna be okay, is a high that I've been so blessed to experience and struggles because I let you into my mind. To know that some of what we do is really hard to cope with. There are situations that make us question ourselves, even the most confident among us. And there are situations in which we're affected. We shed tears, we are humans. That's the title of the book. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:27:39 It's a great book. David, I congratulate you. I hope everyone gets a chance to read it. Whether you're interested in medicine or not, whether you're into neurosurgery or not. These are human stories and congratulations. And thank you for sharing it with us. Dr. David Sandberg 00:27:53 Coming from you. It's an incredible honor to hear those words. Thank you so much, Dr. Gupta.
Fox News
24 minutes ago
- Fox News
Just one hot dog a day could raise disease risk, study suggests, but some cite caveats
A new meta-analysis from the University of Washington suggests that no amount of processed food is safe to consume. Researchers analyzed 77 different studies to gauge the link between certain amounts of these foods and common chronic diseases. "Habitual consumption of even small amounts of processed meat, sugary drinks and trans fatty acids is linked to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and colorectal cancer," lead study author Demewoz Haile, a research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, told Fox News Digital. "There is no safe level of habitual consumption of these food groups, so they should not be included in our daily diet," he stated. For processed meats in particular, the researchers concluded that eating as little as 0.6 to 57 grams per day was linked to an 11% greater likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Consuming between 0.78 and 55 grams per day was associated with a 7% increase in colorectal cancer risk, the study found. (One hot dog, which is made up of almost entirely processed meat, is approximately 50 grams.) The researchers also analyzed the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages, finding that drinking between 1.5 and 390 grams per day could raise type 2 diabetes risk by 8%. Consuming between 0 and 365 grams of the beverages could increase the risk of ischemic heart disease — the most common type of heart disease and a leading cause of death — by 2%, the study found. Trans fatty acids were also analyzed in the study. When the unsaturated fats made up anywhere from 0.25% to 2.56% of daily energy intake, they were linked to a 3% greater risk of ischemic heart disease. "There is no safe level of habitual consumption of these food groups." (Some examples of trans fats include crackers, cookies, baked goods, frozen pizza, coffee creamer, refrigerated dough products, and vegetable shortenings and some stick margarines, according to WebMD. Some fast foods also contain it.) The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine on June 30. Previous studies have established the link between processed foods and chronic disease, Haile acknowledged. "However, our study evaluated the shape of the relationship with the most recent studies, using a more advanced analytical method, and objectively assessed the strength of the evidence," he noted. "Our analysis showed that the strongest association is observed at lower exposure levels equivalent to a serving or less, which implies that consuming these food items on a regular basis at any amount increases the risk of adverse health outcomes." While the researchers recognized that diet is a "personal choice" and that some may be limited in food choices, they recommend limiting or eliminating consumption of processed foods. "Our findings support what is widely recommended, including by the WHO and CDC: Avoid or reduce to the minimum possible level the consumption of processed meats, sugary drinks and artificial trans fats," Haile told Fox News Digital. "Individuals who regularly consume these foods, even in small amounts, should be aware of the increased risk of chronic diseases." The major limitations of this study are associated with dietary intake assessment, Haile acknowledged. "Almost all of the included studies used food frequency questionnaires to assess intake, which can introduce measurement errors, primarily due to difficulties experienced by respondents in recalling long-term intake," he told Fox News Digital. Several studies included in the analysis only looked at consumption at the start of the study, Haile noted — "which might not accurately reflect the future dietary habits of the study participants." Also, the study only looked at a limited set of health outcomes for each dietary risk factor. "Consequently, our study may underestimate the total health loss associated with these foods," Haile said. "We also observed substantial variation across existing literature, which implies that high-quality research is still needed to strengthen the evidence and reduce uncertainty." Dr. Nick Norwitz, M.D., PhD, a Harvard-educated clinical researcher and metabolic health educator, acknowledged that the study shows a "relatively consistent association" between higher processed meat intake and worse health outcomes, but pointed out some caveats. "These are associations — not necessarily causal relationships," Norwitz, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. Additionally, as the researchers themselves acknowledged, the quality of the evidence was graded as "weak," Norwitz pointed out. "At the end of the day, the office donut or bottle of soda is almost certainly doing more metabolic damage than a slice of deli turkey." "While these large studies have certain strengths, one key weakness is that they lump together many different foods within a single category," the researcher went on. "There are various ways to process meats, and not all will have the same biological consequences." While it's "certainly feasible" that processed meat can contribute to poor health outcomes, Norwitz said that more research is needed to confirm the meta-analysis' claims. "At the end of the day, the office donut or bottle of soda is almost certainly doing more metabolic damage than a slice of deli turkey," he added. A spokesperson from the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) sent the below statement to Fox News Digital regarding the study. "We have not read the [full] report, but the abstract in the paper itself states that the assertions reflect 'weak relationships or inconsistent input evidence' and that more research is necessary. We would like to know how the paper defined 'processed meat,' or if the researchers weighed any supposed risks against the proven benefits of nutrients and protein found in meat." For more Health articles, visit In the study, the researchers defined processed meat as "any meat preserved by smoking, curing, salting or the addition of chemical preservatives." Fox News Digital also reached out to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for comment.
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Is there such a thing as a healthy movie theater snack? 7 treats I reach for as a dietitian.
Picture this: You're handing over your movie ticket, feeling extra excited to watch the blockbuster summertime flick that everyone is talking about. You step inside the movie theater lobby, and BAM! You are hit by the buttery aroma of popcorn so strong it might as well be its own cologne (and how good is that smell?!). Then, there's the candy display, tempting you with its overpriced sugary treasures. Call it the magic of the movies or a cultural rite; something about that darkened room screams, 'Treat yourself!' But as a dietitian, I'm here to ask the question nobody really wants answered after their third handful of Reese's Pieces: Is there such a thing as a healthy movie theater snack? Before you hit me with the theatrical boos, hear me out! This isn't about shaming your Milk Duds or butter-soaked popcorn cravings. But the reality is, some movie theater snacks are better for you than others. So, if you're focused on making smarter choices without ruining the fun, there are options that strike a balance. One key factor I look for in a snack is whether it contains fiber, protein or healthy fats (bonus points if it has all three). Why? Because these nutrients help you feel fuller for longer, keep blood sugar levels stable and provide sustained energy, which is an essential combo, especially for a long movie. Bonus points if a snack is low in added sugar or salt and free of artificial colors or flavors, though admittedly, finding that unicorn at the theater can be a challenge! Among the sea of movie theater snacks out there, here are some of my dietitian-approved, top picks for movie theater noshing. Popcorn is a classic movie snack, and it's actually a whole grain! A small or kid-size portion (without drenching it in butter or overly salty toppings) can serve as a crunchy, satisfying option. Plain popcorn is rich in fiber, which is beneficial for digestion, and a small serving usually clocks in around 120-250 calories. Plus, it's light enough to snack on without feeling sluggish. Just skip the added butter or powdered cheese sprinkles. Yes, Raisinets can be a healthy snack! Beneath that chocolate coating are real raisins, which provide natural sugars for energy along with small amounts of fiber and potassium. A serving of Raisinets isn't exactly a health food, but it's a sweet treat that's better balanced thanks to the raisins' nutrient content. At around 190 calories for a small box, this snack is perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth while still providing a bit of fruit. And the chocolate provides some antioxidants, which is good for you too. Soft pretzel bites can be a fun snack to share, and pairing them with mustard instead of cheese sauce is a simple way to reduce excess saturated fat and calories. Mustard is naturally low in calories and adds a tangy twist to your snack. Pretzels are a good source of carbohydrates, making them a great energy booster to keep you focused on the action onscreen. A serving of pretzel bites typically contains 200-400 calories, so sharing them with a friend can also be a great option. Peanut M&M's might seem like an indulgent choice, and they are. But they come with a surprising perk: plant-based protein. Thanks to the peanuts inside, this snack offers a small dose of protein (about 5 grams per serving) to help promote satiety and balance out the sweetness. Additionally, the nuts provide healthy fats that help prevent a sugar spike and crash. A standard serving of Peanut M&M's is about 240 calories, making it a better pick than snacks that are pure sugar. Just be mindful of the serving size. Skip the oversize soda and opt for a cup of coffee instead. It is naturally calorie-free (unless you add cream and sugar), and it can help keep you alert during a late-night screening. Coffee contains antioxidants and provides a natural source of caffeine for a quick energy boost without the sugar overload that comes with sodas or energy drinks. Pro tip: Many theaters offer unsweetened iced tea during the summer months, so look out for this refreshing and low-calorie option if you need something cool. Tea has antioxidants too! Some theaters, like AMC, are stepping up their snack game by offering high-protein options like Country Archer Grass-Fed Beef Jerky. A serving of this jerky is typically around 70–100 calories and provides about 9 grams of protein per ounce. High in protein and low in sugar, this treat is a satiating choice for long movies and adds a savory, chewy texture to your snack lineup. Many theaters offer a kids combo, which might secretly be the perfect option for the 'kids at heart' too. Most theaters are happy to sell it to adults, so don't hesitate to ask. The combo usually includes a small popcorn, a mini drink and a treat like a fruit snack or candy. For those who can't imagine a theater visit without an Icee, the kids combo is a great way to indulge without going overboard. A smaller portion means you can still get that nostalgic taste without committing to a supersize sugar rush. It's a manageable, fun-size option that keeps your snack cravings in balance while adding a bit of whimsy to your movie experience. It's important to remember that enjoying snacks at the theater doesn't have to feel like a guilty pleasure. This list isn't about strict rules — it's about finding options that satisfy your cravings while also helping you feel good. Choosing smaller portions, sharing snacks or pairing something indulgent (like chocolate) with something a bit more nutritious (like jerky) can help you strike a satisfying balance. Ultimately, a trip to the movies is about fun and entertainment, so don't overthink your snack choices. A little mindfulness goes a long way, and armed with these options, you can enjoy snacking without hesitation. After all, good food and great movies go hand in hand!
