Utah
Slimming down for spring? How the standard Utah diet has failed you
Estimated read time: 7-8
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As a nation, there’s no denying that Americans are getting sicker and fatter. And according to long-time nutrition executive and the co-founder of a new science-based health and wellness company, Joel Bikman, it may not be your fault.
From the time that the U.S. government first set dietary guidelines in 1977, the food industry has completely shifted the types of foods they produce, mostly to our overall detriment. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the weight of the average adult American has skyrocketed since that time — a weight increase of nearly 30 pounds.
“For the first time in history, we had a government telling us what to eat,” said Bikman. “And our weight and health have only suffered for it.”
The problem with the Standard American Diet (SAD)
For a variety of reasons, the government had been on the search for a way to “fix” diet for some time. With the support of one dubious study, they determined that the culprit was dietary fat and later introduced the infamous “food pyramid” that vilified natural healthy fats in favor of an increase in the consumption of refined unhealthy carbs. The results on the nation’s health and weight couldn’t have been worse.
“Of the three macronutrients, carbohydrates are the least necessary for the average adult and the most problematic for those struggling with metabolic problems,” said Bikman. “The health and weight challenges we’re seeing today are mostly because of that misguided shift in diet.”
The ‘fat’ secret
In fact, Bikman says that increasing the consumption of healthy fats may be the most important change you can make, supporting metabolic health, brain health and more.
“Our ancestors knew that fats were the most nutrient-dense substances they could eat,” said Bikman. “Natural fats provide you with needed nutrition for your brain and body, they help you feel satisfied, curb your desire for sweets, and even help train your body to burn excess body fat.”
Bikman emphasizes that not all fats are created equal. Processed seed oils from soy, corn and canola are particularly harmful, while fats from olives, coconuts, cocoa butter, ghee and more are uniquely beneficial.
“It’s important to get a wide spectrum of healthy fats, from short-, medium- and long-chain sources,” said Bikman. “It’s not about taking a shot of MCT oil or a big pat of butter and calling it a day.”
Power of protein
Bikman is also surprised at the confusion over protein. Some people advocate for very little, others consume it to excess, while others simply make poor protein choices.
“You have competing mindsets on protein with very little legitimate science behind the arguments,” he said. “We’ve learned that protein is essential, especially as you age, but it needs to be consumed in conjunction with fat, just as is found in nature.”
The best types of protein, according to Bikman, are whey, egg whites and collagen. He emphasizes that those have the highest biological value, offer the most complete essential amino acid profile, and support lean and toned muscle, healthy joints, cartilage and bone health.
“People with dairy allergies or those who prefer a plant-based diet have historically been at a real nutritional disadvantage,” said Bikman. “Plant proteins have anti-nutrients that prevent absorption, but there’s hope in specially-fermented protein sources that are as bioavailable as whey protein and provide a complete amino acid profile.”
The essential boost to your diet
Even with all of the information that Bikman and others share, people around the world constantly ask what they should do for their health.
“Ideally, we all would have the knowledge, time, discipline and budget to plan, purchase and prepare perfect meals,” said Bikman. “But it simply doesn’t happen; people get busy, they get stressed and they make unhealthy choices that derail their health goals.”
It became apparent to Bikman that he and his team could be part of the solution to help people achieve their best health more quickly, and especially to assist those that don’t always have the time, knowledge or discipline to eat healthy. In response, Bikman and his co-founding team of metabolic, nutrition and industry experts created HLTH Code Complete Meal.
Bikman says these carefully formulated meal shakes are designed to promote healthy weight management, gut health, brain health, even hair, skin and nail health. HLTH Code Complete Meal features an optimized, science-backed blend of protein, collagen, healthy fats, apple cider vinegar, probiotics, fiber, vitamins and minerals — with no added sugar or any artificial ingredients.
“HLTH Code Complete Meal is based on research, not fads,” said Bikman. “An incredible amount of work went into making this nutritionally balanced and optimized, yet we knew that if it didn’t taste good, no one would use them consistently.”
Keeping hunger at bay (the right way)
When it comes to eating, Bikman said it’s easy to consume plenty of calories and still feel hungry. This is because the calories consumed are not the right types of calories to provide essential nutrition. He refers to this as “mis-nourishment” and he says it’s ruining many people’s health.
“Each HLTH Code Complete Meal shake is packed with optimized amounts of these ingredients to leave you feeling full and energized for hours,” said Bikman. “Yet it’s more convenient and affordable than virtually any meal you could make or buy.”
Bikman says the shakes are quick and easy to make: Just add two scoops of Creamy Vanilla or Chocolate Macadamia Complete Meal Powder to 8 oz. of cold water and shake or blend. For general wellness, he recommends replacing one meal daily. To reset your health or for weight loss, replace up to two meals per day.
“[I’ve] been using HLTH Code for about 2 weeks and I feel healthier, having more energy and having less cravings – love this product!!!” said one reviewer.
Another reviewer shares, “I started losing weight quickly because I have found that I no longer eat between meals, I do not ‘crave’ carbs and I’m automatically doing intermittent fasting, not purposely but because I just don’t get hungry.”
And yet another reviewer shares, “The results have been phenomenal! Thank you HLTH Code. The shakes are yummy but the weight loss results are miraculous.”
Can HLTH Code help make weight loss easier?
According to Bikman, the best health starts with the right blend of nutrition. Increased energy; feeling more vibrant; a stronger immune system; a clearer mind; improved gut health; and an improved appearance are some of the benefits from improving one’s nutrition.
“The comprehensive benefits of HLTH Code Complete Meal are especially helpful if you’re trying to lose weight,” said Bikman. “Weight loss is rarely easy. There has to be the right changes in both hormones and caloric balance to signal to the body that it’s time to start burning, not storing, fat.”
Bikman adds that based on the best available studies on human metabolism, along with exercise, HLTH Code Complete Meal helps people lose weight without the need for counting every calorie.
Your satisfaction is guaranteed
If you’re nervous about trying something new and making changes to your nutrition plan, don’t be. Bikman stands by his HLTH Code Meal Replacement products and is willing to guarantee your satisfaction.
“You have nothing to lose (except those extra pounds) and everything to gain—in terms of wellness and confidence,” said Bikman.
Indeed, if you’ve been looking for improved wellness and healthy weight management, then HLTH Code Complete Meal could well be your answer. For exclusive savings on your first order, visit getHLTH.com and enter the discount code KSL at checkout.
The opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own and do not reflect the views or opinions of KSL.com. This Site Does Not Provide Medical Advice. Any content on this Site, such as text, graphics, images, information obtained from, or contained on this Site are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this site! The owner and operator of this site do not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the site. Reliance on any information provided by the Operator, including their employees, contractors or others appearing on the Site at the invitation of the Operator, or other visitors to the Site is solely at your own risk. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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OGDEN, Utah — In less than three months, the average price for a gallon of gas nationwide has increased by more than 50 percent. Drivers in Utah are feeling the cost of rising gas prices weighing heavily on their wallets, and with summer travel on the horizon, the climbing costs are on people’s minds.
“I really just came in today and was like, ‘ Oh my gosh.’ I was just shocked,” said Tate Clarke, who lives in Riverdale. She watched the numbers race on the gas pump while filing her tank in Ogden on Tuesday. “It’s like, man, that was a few hours of work down the drain.”
Clarke said the growing costs of everything are challenging to manage.
“Crazy, hard just to be a family now, and just to live, it’s hard,” she said. “But we do our best and just hope for the best.”
According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas in Ogden on Tuesday was $4.66. That’s up nine cents from the day before.
People we spoke to around Ogden said they are upset by the high prices, but they also said there’s not much they can do about it.
“That’s what we have to spend our money on, and then the fun money goes towards gas, I guess,” Clarke added.
“If it’s halfway, then I fill up so I don’t feel it as much,” said Iris Yates, who lives in Ogden. “But I have to pay them, so what do I do?”
Yates said she drives around for work.
“Just trying not to spend too much energy being upset about it, hoping that it’ll change soon,” she said. “Definitely looking into an electric vehicle to kind of help with that.”
These prices won’t change Clarke’s plans much for the summer, but it’s something she said she’s thinking about.
“Be smart about what you’re doing and consolidate trips maybe, but I would still go on the general summer road trip, but I’ll do my best to stay off and save some money,” Clarke said.
It’s one of three new Trader Joe’s locations planned for Salt Lake County.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Employees cheer on the first group of customers entering the new Trader Joe’s in Riverdale on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. The grocery chain and the city of West Jordan have announced a location for a store there — one of three in the works in Salt Lake County.
In conservative Utah, a group of communities joined forces to bring more renewable energy to the electric grid. The group ranges from the state’s largest city to rural towns, such as Coalville. Their effort could be a model for other U.S. cities to take climate action, even as the federal government pulls back on clean power.
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Kim Raff for NPR
NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about how communities are moving forward on climate solutions despite significant political headwinds. As the federal government halts plans to address climate change, states, cities, regions, and even neighborhoods are trying to fill the gap by cutting climate pollution and adapting to extreme weather.
COALVILLE, Utah — Since the first day of his second term, President Trump has targeted renewable power. He has signed executive orders aimed at reviving the coal industry. He’s pushed policies to halt new solar and wind development.
Despite this, a coalition of big cities and small towns in conservative Utah is charting a different path — one that will bring more renewable power to the electric grid. The effort could be a model for other U.S. cities to take climate action, even as the federal government pulls back on clean power.
Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City, is one of 19 communities that formed Utah Renewable Communities. Roughly three-quarters of Utah’s electricity comes from coal and natural gas. The coalition is aiming to bring new clean energy to the grid by 2030.
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Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group Editorial
Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City, is one of 19 communities that formed Utah Renewable Communities. The collaboration has a big goal: generate enough clean electricity to offset the power used in their nearly 300,000 homes and businesses.
To do this, the coalition plans to build renewable energy projects. Think solar arrays and wind farms.
It’s taken years to get to this point. They’ve had to get regulations updated to work directly with the regional utility to add clean energy to the grid. And they’ve had to figure out how to pay for projects.
Now the rules are in place. And the utility, Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp, is on board.
Coal mining history goes way back in Coalville, a small town in northern Utah’s Summit County. But adding more renewables to Utah’s energy mix is about looking to the future, Summit County Sustainability Director Emily Quinton said, improving reliability and costs for customers in the years to come. “Clean energy is not just here and now,” she said. “It absolutely is a long-term investment that I think leads to a stronger grid in the long run.” Here, a statue commemorating the town’s coal-mining history stands outside Coalville City Hall.
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Kim Raff for NPR
Utah’s bond with coal runs deep
As the name suggests, coal was once the lifeblood of Coalville.
A life-size statue of a miner on Main Street serves as a reminder of the town’s roots. This small mountain town was one of Utah’s first coal communities. Coal was discovered in the area in the late 1850s.
“We do have a legacy here,” said Emily Quinton, sustainability director of Summit County, where Coalville is located. “Not just the coal that was mined here, but we’re in a state of Utah where the state rock is coal.”
Now, Summit County and Coalville are two of the Utah communities betting their future not on coal, but on renewables.
The coalition’s push for clean energy comes at a time when three-quarters of Utah’s electricity is generated from coal and natural gas. These fossil fuels produce planet-warming pollution that drives climate change. State leaders have taken recent action to keep Utah’s coal industry alive, including legislation extending the lifespan of coal-fired power plants that were set to be decommissioned.
But Utah’s energy mix is changing. Roughly 22% of its electricity comes from renewables, such as wind, solar and hydropower. The coalition of 19 cities, towns and counties — which also includes red rock tourism hotspots Moab and Springdale — is working together to expand that trajectory.
It’s a unique strategy, particularly at a time when the federal government has done a U-turn on supporting renewables.
With so many different types of communities in the collaboration, Summit County Sustainability Director Emily Quinton said it’s important to recognize and honor the various reasons people have for joining. “Some people are going to be motivated by pollution that can be avoided by clean energy,” she said. “Some people are going to be motivated by a core climate action goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
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Kim Raff for NPR
“The fact that our efforts here have been happening over the course of multiple federal administrations already,” Quinton said, “it shows us that at the local level, you can continue to move on climate strategies regardless of the federal winds.”
That doesn’t mean it has been easy. The coalition has been working toward its goal for several years, driven by residents’ demand for more clean energy options, she said. But it’s taken longer than the communities expected.
“It’s obviously difficult to try to work with 19 different processes,” said Quinton, who is also the coalition’s board secretary. “But I’ve been so impressed this whole time that we have functioned, I would say, very well as a collaborative.”
The state Legislature first had to pass a law in 2019 to make this type of community-utility collaboration possible. The legislation created a framework for the state to regulate it.
That was no small feat, explained Steve Handy, the Republican state representative who championed the bill. In Utah, renewables have often been politicized. Handy said pushback came over what supporting solar and wind could mean for towns where coal is an economic driver.
But in Handy’s view, adding more sources to Utah’s energy mix just makes sense.
“Utah needs all of the power that it can get with the data centers, the advent of artificial intelligence, EVs,” he said. “We can’t get it just from coal-based, fossil fuel-based, because that is now one of the more expensive options.”
Many residents in Park City, Utah, feel the urgency to address climate change, especially this year. Record warm winter temperatures zapped the snow that’s the foundation of the economy and identity of this mountainous area.
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Kim Raff for NPR
The urgency of climate change
The winter sports hub, Park City, is also part of the coalition. Residents feel an urgency to reduce planet-warming pollution, especially this year, said Luke Cartin, director of lands and sustainability for Park City.
He watched as a ski lift chair hovered over a grassy hill. This slope near where skiers and snowboarders raced during the 2002 Winter Olympics is typically blanketed in snow all spring.
This year, historically warm temperatures zapped the snow that’s the foundation of Park City’s economy and identity. Utah and other Western states had their warmest winter on record.
Utah’s snowpack levels typically peak in early April. A dry winter paired with a warm spring meant Utah’s meager snow cover melted away several weeks ahead of normal this year.
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David Condos/KUER
Then came the early spring heat waves. Researchers with World Weather Attribution found those heat waves would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.
“Instead of just saying, ‘Hey, we held up a sign, but nothing happened,’” Cartin said, “we made this change in one of the most conservative states in the country.” It’s something, he said, “the community can take pride in.”
The Utah coalition’s work is getting noticed. Cartin said he’s fielding questions from communities in other states about how they could do something similar.
“That’s been the really interesting part of being able to present in Montana and Idaho,” Cartin said, “being like, ‘Hey, we figured this out. You can figure it out, too.’”
Park City Director of Lands and Sustainability Luke Cartin said the Utah collaboration’s efforts have been fueled by residents’ demand for more clean energy options. “There’s this pent-up emotion and want and need for this,” he said. “This can make very strong economic sense, and it can also solve a lot of other larger existential threats as well.”
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Kim Raff for NPR
Political headwinds
Without the coalition, the projects it’s considering likely would not get built. PacifiCorp, which runs the regional utility Rocky Mountain Power, has rolled back its plans to build new renewable energy resources.
That’s been a response to the Trump administration’s moves that favor fossil fuels. Specifically, the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act undid parts of the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act that had offered tax incentives for wind and solar.
“This significantly changed the economic modeling of the company’s resource planning, changing the least-cost, least-risk portfolio of resource types that are in the best interests of customers,” PacifiCorp spokesperson David Eskelsen wrote in an email.
A gravel road leads to a group of homes in Castle Valley, Utah. People living in this small desert town have felt the impacts of a warming climate, said Town Council member Pamela Gibson, and they see the logic in pursuing renewables. “I think most people recognize that there is a thing called climate change, and it is man-made, and that we should be doing everything we can,” she said.
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David Condos/KUER
Large solar and wind projects provide more cost-competitive energy than natural gas, nuclear and coal projects, according to financial services firm Lazard. Renewable energy is also proven to be reliable when it’s paired with large batteries and other types of grid management.
Politically, other red states could face challenges to pass legislation like Utah did in 2019, said Severin Borenstein, faculty director of the University of California, Berkeley’s Energy Institute at Haas.
A single initiative won’t do much to stop global climate change, he said. But even a small-scale program, such as Utah’s, could help change the narrative.
“That sort of leadership and setting an example, I think, is the real value of these sorts of efforts,” Borenstein said. “They can build momentum from towns to counties to states and ultimately to the federal government, if it can be shown to be cost-effective.”
Some communities in the Utah coalition have already taken small steps toward going renewable. Moab recently installed a rooftop solar array on City Hall to power its municipal offices. “Living in a rural place, a remote place, we have an attitude that if we want it, we’re going to have to go out and find it,” said Alexi Lamm, the town’s sustainability director. Now, the collaboration will allow Moab to offer clean power to all of its residents.
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The switch to renewables
Utah’s Public Service Commission officially approved the program earlier this year. Communities have until June 2 to pass local ordinances confirming their participation.
Once that happens, the program will have Rocky Mountain Power enroll every home in participating communities. They’ll add a $4 monthly fee to residents’ electric bills starting next year. Low-income residents can get the fee covered, and customers can still opt out.
For many rural communities, switching to all renewable power without this coalition would be next to impossible.
Take Castle Valley, population 347. This community along the Colorado River in southeast Utah is another program participant.
Castle Valley resident Alice Drogin checks on plants at her small business, Canyon Nursery. She’s hopeful her greenhouses will someday run on clean power because of the Utah program. “I have in-floor heating, so I do like my electricity,” she said, “and I would love to be able to have it sourced with renewable types of energy.”
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David Condos/KUER
Town Council member Pamela Gibson said residents wouldn’t consider themselves “radical environmentalists.” But they’ve seen climate change impact the valley — like this year’s warm, dry winter — and they want to protect their home for the future.
“We can’t solve all the problems,” Gibson said. “But if we all get together, it’s drops of water in a big pond. And we can eventually fill it up.”
Utah Renewable Communities plans to announce its first clean energy project this summer and begin generating power by 2030.
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