Be Resourceful--Equip Your Body to Fight The Flu

A must read article if you want to avoid the flu! The Flu Fighters --In Your Food is a WSJ article (written by Laura Landro) explaining practical ways to equip your body to fight germs during this flu season, which by all accounts, could prove to be pretty intense. The science of nutrition is amazingly complex so, even though I devour the information provided in my nutrition classes at NYU, I really value good resources, such as this article, that provide practical nutritional advice backed up with solid science. A quick article summary to get you interested--The field of nutritional immunology is discovering the direct role nutrition plays in our immune response and is directing us to eat specific foods to fight specific types of illnesses. Just what the doctor ordered! Before you get too busy getting ready for Thanksgiving, stop, take a breath and read this article. Then, store this article on your phone or laptop so you can easily refer to it when you are food shopping or planning your weekly menus. If you are low-tech or no- tech, print the article (on post consumer paper please) and keep the copy with you to refer to as often as needed. This simple step will help you become proactive about nutrition and therefore your health. We know that not everyone gets the flu so why not work to be one of the lucky flu-free individuals. But the holidays, as enjoyable as they, do not help us avoid the flu.  In some ways, this season encourages it as many of us neglect our sleep and eat on the run, two factors which deplete our body's defenses. Choose instead to turn your ordinary eating decisions into health decisons. Happy Thanksgiving!

Be Discerning: Can We Believe Food Advertising Claims about Health and Nutrition?

No question about it--growing up with Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, and Ronald McDonald influenced my childhood eating habits as well as the habits of many other children. During the 80’s, few questions were raised about this cutting edge advertising approach which bypassed parents and provided a focused marketing message directed to children. The conventional thought was that it was clever and cute advertising, harmless, and simply designed to sell cereal, hamburgers and fries. Now, as we are learning more about how culture impacts health, some people have questioned whether advertising like this is really so benign. Yet, instead of factors such as the clear evidence of the impact of junk food on our snowballing obesity epidemic thwarting the effects of this advertising, the marketing of junk food products has just become more creative, appealing, and impactful.  These friendly and alluring figures, on the surface represent every child’s ideal world, but all of the cute characters and dynamic commercials mask the reality that junk food, especially in excess, is damaging to our health and longevity.

As an adult, the confusion continues, now we are dealing with a society that worships thinness and pushes diet products, but continues to produce ad upon ad, glorifying undeniably unhealthy food products with images of beautiful glowing people at the forefront. Not much has changed about the strategies, except that the effectiveness of the ads has simply improved as the world of marketing has evolved.  Unfortunately, the marketing industry’s very successful manipulation of its consumers, both young and old, has negatively contributed to our society’s confusion regarding food. With all of the seductive influences around in the media today, pushing unhealthy food products, consumers must develop a skeptical and discerning eye for what we buy and consume.

Even as I have consciously made choices to improve the quality of my diet and invest in my understanding of healthful eating, I know that I am to some extent influenced by the multibillion-dollar food advertising and marketing industries, like most of us are, even when we really know better.  It isn’t that marketing or advertising in any way is fundamentally wrong. My undergraduate degree in Marketing gave me a fair understanding of the concept, enough for me to know that there is an important place in business for it.  However, I think it is important for all of us to understand how marketing and advertising can affect people’s health in many areas such as cigarettes, low nutrient, high caloric junk food and simply in misrepresenting advertising touts as fact.

While the debate about food marketing to children- or anyone- is a very complicated one, definitely too involved to address in one short blog, there are a few basic principles that can be helpful in making sense of the ever-changing landscape of food “products.”  One key to my approach when making food choices, is to generally stick to the basics.  For example, if a food item grows naturally and it doesn’t have a powerful marketing department such as the carrot or a banana, it is probably better for you than the “food product” that do not have a powerful marketing machine behind it.  Many of the food products that are out on the market today are touting particular nutrient powers and make claims that most of us are familiar with but don’t really understand.  They sound impressive but what do they really do for the body? Challenged by this question, I am always on the hunt to find alternatives to the mainstream products that are either a totally unprocessed natural food, or at the least a “product” that is made organically, without the use of artificial ingredients.

I have made many life changes to follow this philosophy and experienced definite healthful results.  One of these changes was in my approach to hydration and electrolyte replenishment during my exercise routines. I made a wholesale switch from Gatorade/PowerAde/ABC sports drink to drinking coconut water. It is natural free of chemical additives and so much more effective. Sure, we all want to be as hot as the femme fatal in the commercial for the Big sports drink, mid-workout drinking her florescent yellow concoction while looking sexy and flawless, but that is just a concocted image. Does that chemicalized sports drink have anything to do with our femme fatale’s awesome physique?  I have a hunch that the multi-hour daily workouts, shiny bronze crème, professional hair and makeup crew, and technical camera tricks have more influence than the sports drink. Instead of trusting the company selling the product, I carefully researched the health benefits of coconut water and learned why it is good for our bodies instead of caring why the sports drink is trendy, popular, or even why the company selling it thinks it is great.  The natural alternative as usual was better in every way!

Challenge yourself to look beyond an expensive food marketing message specifically designed to make you feel good about this product and instead, explore the natural alternatives.  Your efforts may lead you to discover natural solutions that are better.

Be One on One: The Most Surprising Diet Tip of The Year--Gather Your Family Around the Table For Mealtimes.

The more I learn about food and nutrition, the more convinced I become that our food culture is tightly interconnected with eating a healthy diet. A disturbing trend is that cooking and eating together as a family is growing more infrequent, and in many ways, it is impacting our younger generations. Though health press is focused on calories, macro/micronutrients, specific foods that are “good” and “bad,” and new diet fads, the scientific aspect of food and how it is processed through the body is only part of the story. In fact, how we eat is just as important as what we eat. The food culture in the US has evolved from cooking from “scratch” to eating on the go, at restaurants, fast food shops and microwaveable meals—these examples are what I mean by “how we eat.”


There is no question that the myriad of alternatives to home food preparation impacts the overall quality what we eat as well as influencing the food culture that we establish for ourselves and our families.  The value in making food and eating together is multi-dimensional. It encourages families to spend more quality time together, and provides opportunities to teach children where food comes from and exposes them to a wide range of natural whole foods. When we make our meals, we are also improving the quality of what we are eating and facilitating good eating habits.  In addition, it is very important to give kids a positive reference for what foods they should eat since they are constantly bombarded with advertising persuading them to eat junk. It is much easier to counter advertiser’s influence on your children, if you involve them in the process and eat healthy, whole foods with them.** (see note below)


One time of the year we seem to do this better.  Around the holidays, our traditions bring us back together in the kitchen. Since Thanksgiving is quickly approaching--a time when many of us still prepare traditional and special dishes for each other--I have been thinking about the immeasurable value of homemade meals to our lives and to our health. Perhaps we could improve our diets year round by incorporating some of the holiday meal spirit to our eating approach.


Cooking and eating holiday meals with my family is a treasured tradition. Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of the only times in the year that my family and I get to cook together now that I am living on my own-- a plane ride away. Since my first true cooking experiences were helping my mom cook ambitious holiday feasts, I give a lot of credit for my ability to cook to the lessons I learned in a holiday kitchen.


To achieve this holiday spirit all year long, try incorporating these “holiday cooking” approaches to your other meals.  Think of all of your meals as special because each and every meal provides nourishment, comfort, and health to your body.  Treating each meal this way does not mean each meal will take an unreasonable amount of time or expense. Approaching all meals as a holiday experience is simply a recognition of the importance of a meal and a priority to feed ourselves and our families well. It is an easy habit to adopt if you follow these tips:


Eat together around the table instead of in front of the television, and actually talk to each other instead of zoning out and mindlessly eating. This actually helps you enjoy the meal and reduces after dinner eating. It also keeps you in touch with your body and enables you to better judge when you are satisfied.


Make more of the meal the real way, from scratch, and use fewer processed ingredients.  This actually will improve as you experience each ingredient component, this process reinforces your desire to continue to eat a healthy meal and processed food becomes a less satisfying and desirable alternative.


Involve the family in the process, from teaching kids how to do things to letting them be a part of deciding what to make and doing it together. Just telling your kids to eat healthy because it is “good for them” isn’t enough to make them want to do it. However, if you involve them in the process and make it fun, they will be more likely to cooperate.  They may also learn to look forward to the activity and time together and exposing them to healthy choices early on will help them make better decisions on their own.


Use seasonal foods all year.  It makes sense to most of us to eat squash or winter herbs around the holidays, maybe since it is traditional, but it is also much healthier to eat food in season.  When you eat seasonally, you can eat more of your food from local sources, which has immense nutritional benefit as well as being cheaper and more environmentally conscious.


Plan ahead. Obviously it is necessary to plan ahead with an elaborate meal, but being proactive about all of your meals at home will help greatly in your ability to stick to your home-cooked approach, reduce the cost and increase the likelihood that your meals will be well balanced since you will have the ingredients you need.  If you have your ingredients ready to go and the recipe handy, it might not seem as tempting to stop at the drive through out of convenience.  


**If you are interested in learning more about the effects of advertising on our subconsious food choices, read my next blog where I discuss why we should all be aware of the power of persuasion of marketers selling food products.

Be Resourceful: Stock Your Pantry with Superfoods

It’s that time of year again, and along with holiday cheer and comes cold and flu season too. The good news is, many of the holiday activities are centered around food and eating well can help you prevent and treat illness. Since I have been nursing a cold this week with yoga and vegetables, it seems appropriate to share some natural remedies.


In the next couple of weeks, while you are stocking up on ingredients for the special recipes you are planning, consider including some extra preventative food “medicine” and a few soothing “treatments” to your list. Think of your pantry as a natural medicine cabinet, for both preventing and treating those nasty little viruses that are floating around. It is important to remember vitamins and minerals come from whole foods. When you get nutrients from eating instead of taking supplements, powders, and fortified processed foods, your body can process them more effectively.




Of course you can’t always prevent and treat sickness without a visit to the doctor, but there are many little tricks to keep you healthier during the cold season. Healthy foods are filled with vitamins, minerals and immunity boosters.


I use the following items all times of the year, but they are especially helpful to keep on hand now. As always, buy as much as you can organic and from local sources.


Honey- natural cough suppressant.
Cinnamon- can reduce blood sugar levels, cholesterol, contains antioxidant properties, aids digestion, can help treat diarrhea, helps the body get over common colds.
Apple Cider Vinegar -contains lots of bacteria fighting agents, strengthens immune system, helps to reduce symptoms of sinus infection and sore throats.
Lemons- very good for digestion. Drink with hot water early in the day. Stimulates liver to produce bile for food digestion, helps to relieve constipation, asthma, sore throat and tonsillitis.
Green Tea- has various health benefits including antioxidant.
Ginger Tea- helps stimulate digestion, settle upset stomach.
Ginger Root- Ask at your local market if you don’t know what it looks like. You can juice it or make your own tea. Great for cold and flu prevention and treatment. It works wonders to promote digestion and settle an upset stomach.
Dried goji berries- Antioxidants, vitamin a immune function.
Dried mulberries- Insanely rich in Vitamin C. Stays well preserved without refrigeration.
Garlic-high Vitamin C, incredible health benefits from antibacterial properties, cancer preventing compounds.
Guava/Lichi juice- Buy it natural and with no added sugar. Both are very high in Vitamin C and there are brands that don’t require refrigeration until you open. The only downside is that this time of year they aren’t available locally. Orange and grapefruit juice are great sources for Vitamin C as well, especially if you live in an area where you can get citrus fruit and juice it at home.


Always keep a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit on hand. For example, I love broccoli and it is another incredible source of Vitamin c and lots of other vitamins and minerals.


Check out the links included to get more information about each of these superfoods and their benefits. Stay healthy!

Be the Difference - Stocking Your Holiday Pantry

I spent the day looking in my favorite cookbooks for new, yet familiar Thanksgiving recipes I can’t wait to try. With the holiday season quickly approaching and pot-luck dinners mounting, it looks like I will have plenty of opportunities to make and share them all over the next several weeks. But before I can get cooking, I need to get shopping for all the staple ingredients I will need to have on hand in order to whip something up on the fly, and on a dime. So, for that (and a variety of other things), I head straight to the bulk bins!

Even small health food stores have a decent selection of food items you can buy from their bulk quantity. There you can find anything from Turbinado sugar to your favorite morning cereal sold by the pound at a much cheaper price than the name brand varieties. I think the value is especially significant when buying nuts and dried fruit for holiday desserts or everyday trail mixes. In addition to helping out your wallet, you can also help out the environment when shopping bulk by saving on all the packaging that would be involved otherwise. You can even bring your own reusable, lightweight storage containers and skip disposable packaging all together, but if you need the produce-like plastic bags provided to measure out your desired amount and get it home and into your pantry, don’t throw them out or recycle them just yet. These bags are the perfect size to keep in your gym or yoga bag to keep your sweaty clothes separate from everything else until you can get them in the wash. They can also double as small wastecan liners, or I hesitate to say, for all those New York dog owners who have the pleasant responsibility of “picking up” up after their pets have “dropped off.” And you don’t have to feel bad about throwing it out when you do find a second use for it because most of the stores who care enough about the planet to carry bulk items, care enough to only supply quickly biodegradable bioplastic produce and bulk bags to their customers, too.

So get inspired to try something new this year when planning your Thanksgiving menu and shop differently for everything you’ll need this, and every other day of the year.

Be Bold: Eat Your Pumpkin

During the Halloween season, the symbolic pumpkin begins to appear in markets, grocery stores and as a decorative element in public places and homes.  For most people, October 31st is the only day we appreciate this interesting vegetable and even then it is used for display on our front porches, not on our plates.
In addition to being beautiful and fun to carve, pumpkins are an exceptionally nutritious food. The nutritional benefits are impressive, not only in the characteristic deep orange “meat” whose vibrant hue indicates the high carotenoid content like bell peppers and carrots, the seeds also contain tons of vitamins and minerals.


The pumpkin is in the family of “winter squash” like butternut squash and acorn squash.  They are all high in beta-carotene which is converted into Vitamin A in our bodies.  Vitamin A is  necessary for regulating the majority of body functions and is a well known factor in eye sight. Winter Squash is also high in fiber, Vitamin C, B Vitamins, and low in fat. The high Vitamin C content is especially helpful in immune protection during the change of weather and seasons during the fall. Squashes also contain antioxidant properties and promote heart health.


Winter Squash is also very versatile to eat and cook since it works well in sweet as well as savory dishes.  Growing up I always thought pie was the only way to eat pumpkin, but it can easily be made into soup, dressings, or incorporated into pasta dishes like ravioli.  Check out ThebeList recipes for more ideas.


When you bring your pretty pumpkin in to clean it out for carving, don’t forget the most nutrient dense part of the pumpkin, not to mention the easiest to eat and prepare—the seeds!!  Pumpkin seeds are on the top of my list of favorite foods, they are super tiny, portable, don’t require refrigeration and are packed with nutrients.


To prepare, scoop out the seeds from the pumpkin and wipe them off with a clean towel or paper towel. Don’t rinse.  Just spread them on a cookie sheet and bake.  I like to bake them at a relatively low temp, like 160-180 F, for 10 or 15 minutes.  You also can sprinkle with sea or Himalayan salt or pepper for a little spice if you like.


Nutritionally, pumpkin seeds are an amazing source of B Vitamins, Vitamin E, protein, magnesium, iron, zinc and phytosterols.


*Magnesium is an important nutrient that many Americans are deficient in.  It is involved in strength and formation of bones and teeth, maintaining healthy blood pressure levels, relaxation of blood vessels, muscle function, bowel function, and improving depression, to name a few.


*Phytosterols are plant compounds believed to help fight cancer and lower bad cholesterol.


*Zinc helps to prevent osteoporosis.


*Iron is needed for your body to make the proteins that transport oxygen throughout your body.


Get in the Halloween Spirit and eat your pumpkin and seeds not only on Halloween, but for the rest of the fall and winter season while they are at their peak!