10 Holiday Eating Tips

1. Enjoy! The holidays are a great time to gather with family and friends and eat incredible foods. Don’t miss out!

2. Balance. Most people do eat more calories during the holiday stretch. Think about ways to increase your activity to balance out the excess calories. Walk more during your workday. Extend your walk or run by 5-10 minutes. Take the train or bus and get off a stop earlier.Take the stairs during your workday. Small increases in activity can make a big difference.

3. Think Mediterranean. Go for savory vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains, yogurt and olive oil whenever possible and use spices to help enhance flavor rather than an extra pat of butter or salt.

4. Focus on colorful vegetables. Most holiday meals are rich in vegetables such as squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, spinach, turnips and Brussels sprouts. These foods are an excellent way to include a good dose of protective antioxidants. Make your vegetable portions bigger than you normally do at holiday time. Fill your plate with color. (more…)

Butter Me Up?

I keep getting asked about saturated fat after several flashy media reports about sat fat not being the cause of heart disease. The answer isn’t so simple. To me, it begs for a heavy dose of simple common sense.

Here’s an email response to a friend about this topic over the summer. It summarizes my thoughts without getting into the nitty gritty of nutrition epidemiology. I thought it would be worth sharing. Here it is:

Fed Up: A Few Thoughts

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a special preview screening of Fed Up, the new food documentary at the Harvard School of Public Health. The screening was followed by a short panel Q&A with film producer Laurie David, ChopChop Magazine  founder Sally Sampson and Dr. Eric Rimm, nutrition epidemiologist at HSPH.

The film intends to piss people off about the state of food marketing and the inability of the government to make changes to protect our collective health, especially that of American children. (more…)

To cleanse or not to cleanse

Hyped as a means to remove harmful pollutants from the body and lose weight, cleanse and detox diets are all the rage. But despite their popularity, research has revealed that cleansing – especially via restricting intake and fasting – brings about unwanted side effects and weight re-gain after restoring a normal diet. These cleanses can be relatively healthy if approached cautiously, such as simply incorporating more fruits and vegetables into the diet. On the other hand, they can be darn right dangerous. Always bear in mind that most cleanses are dreamed up by individuals lacking nutrition credentials – and therefore should be reviewed carefully before trying.

Here are a few things to think about with cleansing:

• Excess energy intake – juice is a high caloric drink often incorporating much more fruit and vegetables than one could consume in whole form.
• Liquid meals cause lazy guts. Our gastrointestinal tract needs solid foods including those with fiber and protein to stay healthy and maintain integrity.
• Decreased satiety, liquid meals take longer for you to feel full causing cravings earlier, not to mention irritability from blood sugar spikes and falls.
• Our bodies remove toxins; it’s how we’ve survived for thousands of years. So there’s really not much of an incentive to detox via dieting.

The bottom line: There is no evidence that any of these “cleanse” diets enhance the bodies own detox mechanisms. Concentrate on fueling your body right, hydrating appropriately with low-sugar drinks, getting good sleep, and staying active. Take a moment to appreciate the remarkable way the body protects and cleanses itself safely and naturally, without any help from the outside.

By Liz Schneider, guest blogger and nutritionist

Eating for beauty

The best compliment I’ve received is that I have great skin. I was actually taken a back given that I have freckles and a long clash with acne. But I’ll take what I can get. After years of trying every cream, lotion, pill on the market I stopped focusing on the things I put on top of my skin and instead focused on what I was putting into my body. Maybe I just grew out of the acne, but I’m eating healthier than ever before and my skin has never looked better. My tip is to try and eat antioxidant and anti-inflammatory rich foods every day, simply put: eat your fruits and veggies.

Antioxidant rich foods are those that contain:

• Vitamin A aka beta-carotene, the orange/red pigment that gives carrots and squash their color, can also give your skin a healthy glow as the pigments accumulate under the skin’s surface.
• Vitamin C and E are often paired together as they help protect against cellular damage in our bodies including skin. In fact a vitamin c deficiency usually manifests with dry, scaly skin and bleeding gums – a testament of vitamin c’s influence of tissue health.
• Selenium is a mineral found in the earth, and thus many foods contain it including seafood, meat, and plants. Depending on soil conditions, the same food grown in different soils can contain varying amounts of selenium. One Brazil nut is usually all you need for a days worth of this antioxidant.
• Zinc – although not really considered an antioxidant, zinc is essential for the proper functioning of the antioxidant pathways in the body.

Anti-inflammatory rich foods are those that contain:

• Healthy fats like those found in ground flax and fatty fish. A soft fluid-like membrane (made up of the fat you eat) protects all of your trillion cells, so you can imagine they are extremely important for skin structure. In the omega-6-fat laden society we live in, it is hard to obtain omega-3 fats, which research has shown to decrease inflammation in the body. A great goal is to incorporate fish into your meals twice a week.

Tips for eating clean

• Go slow. Especially if you are not use to regularly eating whole foods. Try adding one fruit or veggie at a time. Pay close attention to your body. There is such a thing as too much fiber!
• Drink more water. Fiber requires lots of hydration to pass through your gut comfortably and efficiently. Extra water is good for your skin too. Everyone’s hydration needs vary, but generally 6-12 glasses per day will do the trick.

I hope this inspired you to eat your fruits and veggies if not for anything else, for a glowing complexion!

Did you know? Acne is a disease of western civilization. It does not exist in certain countries like Paraguay and New Guinea. As expected, these cultures eat very clean diets excluding processed and refined foods…

Need help finding healthy foods containing antioxidants? Check out this website at www.WHFoods.org

PS – you don’t need to take supplements for great skin. Eat the food, the whole food, and nothing but the food! It’s how nature intending us to get our vitamins and minerals.

By: Liz Schneider, guest blogger

Stressful times call for healthful eating

In this crazy westernized world we live in, stress abounds us at every corner. Some handle it better than others. Some handle it by using food as a way to cope. If those foods are unhealthy, our bodies end up taking the grunt. Eventually stress catches up on us, many times in the form of chronic disease brought about from years of slow accumulation of damage. As I write this post I am faced with an impending stressful situation myself – cramming for an upcoming exam, the single exam that cumulates my entire education. No pressure, right?

I’m learning to deal with the life’s pressures by focusing my energy towards health and wellness. I try to fuel my body and mind with the best foods possible. While studying, I directly feel the power of a wholesome meal in terms of longer attention span and focused concentration. I love food and cooking, so it is natural for me to use it to deal with stress. For example, instead of gobbling down packaged snacks (which adds guilt-stress) I choose to prepare a fresh meal, taking time and letting my mind wonder as I chop, stir, and mix up the ingredients. I use everyday cooking as therapy to release and reflect.

Because everyone is different, here are some other ways to reduce the stress in your life:

• exercise
• journaling
• meditation
• praying
• deep breathing
• healthy cooking
• music
• art

Foods to soothe the mind, packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals!

• whole grains
• fresh fruit like oranges or berries
• dark leafy greens
• fatty fish like salmon
• nuts and seeds
• chamomile tea
• spices like turmeric
• dark chocolate

So the next time you feel out of control, take a deep breath and grab a wholesome snack.

By Liz Schneider, guest blogger.

Growing your own food

Have you ever sunk your teeth into a freshly picked tomato right from your very own garden? If not, you’re missing out. Growing your own food offers many benefits such as delicious taste, cost savings, healthfulness, and the peace of mind by controlling your own growing conditions.

Don’t know where to begin? Start with tomatoes, peppers, or herbs – they are the most forgiving even for a novice gardener.  Try growing from seeds and watch your veggies sprout up from the soil or buy starter plants that have already been established. Ask your local gardening center for tips, they are the experts.

No land? No problem. Today, gardeners are using all kinds of places to grow food like containers, windowsills, rooftops, and balconies. Collect your own water with a rain barrel and create your own plant food by composting. Gardening opens the door to sustainability.

The more I grow my own food, the more I realize what it actually takes to get food onto the table. For me, gardening has become a gateway to leading a more healthy life. Growing foods in my backyard gives me the power to choose how I will fuel my body. Plus, it makes way for discovering new cuisines through cooking at home. Lastly, growing your own food is an excellent source of exercise. It takes perseverance but it is totally worth it.

Backyard gardens have the power to increase access to healthy foods for everyone. With the 4th of July approaching, why not tap into our American heritage and start planting some food this summer!

I hope this inspires you to plant your own edible garden – you’ll be rewarded with what good soil can provide if you just give it a seed.

By Liz Schneider

Healthy Grilling

BBQ season is finally here. Foods on the grill can bring about some mouth-watering flavors and fantastic memories, but a few quick tips can help keep your food healthy and safe.

Summertime treats like burgers, steaks, ribs and hot dogs are fine on occasion. What’s important to consider is that high-heat grilling can convert proteins in meat (especially red meat) into cancer-promoting and inflammatory chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

Another cancer-causing agent, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are found in the smoke that forms when fat and juices from meat products drip on the heat source and cause flare-ups. The smoke rises and can stick to the surface of the meat. Longer cooking times also create more HCA formation.

What can you do to lower your risk?

Marinate: Choose thin marinades that contain lemon and/or vinegar as they create a protective barrier around the meat. Thicker marinades increase the risk of burning and charring. If using a thicker marinade, add it to toward the end of the grilling session, not before.

Lean Towards Lean: Choose lean cuts of meat. Less fat reduces the flames and smoke. If choosing higher-fat varieties such as sausage or ribs, trim the fat and remove the skin before grilling.

Less Is More: Choose smaller pieces of meat, like kebabs, because they cook more quickly and can cook easily at lower temperatures. Thaw frozen meats before grilling to reduce overall cooking time. You can also partially cook meat in a microwave for 60-90 seconds on high and discard the juices before grilling to reduce cooking time and potential smoke flare-ups.

Flip Often: Flip burgers once a minute. Resist the urge to pat the food as this causes more fat to drip onto the heat source.

Grill Skills: Place your food at least 6 inches from the heat source. Line the grill with aluminum foil with a few holes or try cooking on cedar planks. This will help protect the food.

Grill Vegetables: Grill more vegetables, as they do not contain protein and have less risk of causing harmful chemicals that may occur then grilling meat proteins.