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To Snack or Not to Snack: That is the Question

By: Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Healthy Eating , , , , Permalink 0
 

Snacking has become kind of a hot topic in the world of nutrition, and with good reason.  For many years now, the diet books and the fitness world in particular have been promoting the concepts of “grazing,” “snacking,” or eating several small meals throughout the day as opposed to the traditional 3 squares.  At first, it seemed like the answer to all our problems.  Hypoglycemia (or blood sugar issues) was on the rise in addition to the frightening prevalence of obesity.  Even otherwise healthy people who watched what they ate and stuck to their diets were struggling with weight that was fluctuating more than was normal or desirable.  When the merits of several small meals started to be touted in the media and in new diet books, it seemed like an easy, fun cure-all:  Eat all the time and still lose weight!  Never get shaky or experience symptoms of low blood sugar again!  Never go hungry!  The logic behind it seemed very solid.  If we never let ourselves get to the point of extreme hunger, we will make better choices about what we eat (and how much) and our blood sugar will stay stable with a steady stream of fuel to burn.  Feeding your metabolism all the time keeps it humming and burning fat, right?

Apparently, wrong. 

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The Super-Duper Superfood You’re Probably Not Eating!

By: Saturday, January 29, 2011 Diet and Foods, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Nutrition , , , , Permalink 0

You probably remember chlorophyll from your 8th grade biology class… it absorbs energy from the sun to stimulate photosynthesis; it makes plants green; it helps plants grow and breathe; it’s like the blood that runs through the veins of plant matter… yada, yada, yada.  But what you may not know are the remarkable effects chlorophyll has on the human body.  Chlorophyll is actually really similar in composition to human blood, except it has magnesium as its central atom, as opposed to iron in human blood.  This unique similarity causes mineral-rich chlorophyll to have a whole slew of amazing benefits for the human body, including:

  • anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and wound healing properties
  • helps to grow and repair tissue
  • purifies the blood
  • neutralizes free radicals and prevents cell damage
  • stimulates red blood cells to improve oxygen supply
  • anti-carcinogenic properties that prevent carciogens from binding with DNA in organs
  • helps to assimilate magnesium and calcium in the body
  • helps to neutralize air pollution that we breathe in
  • fights bad breath, body odor, and odors in body waste

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Clean Plates: A great new book and awesome website!

By: Monday, January 10, 2011 Healthy Eating, Lifestyle , , , , Permalink 0

Clean Plates is one of my favorite sites for finding healthy restaurants in New York.. you just type in what you’re looking for (organic, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, raw) and what neighborhood you’re in, and BOOM: a list of great restaurant options! They’re coming out with listings in Brooklyn and Queens soon as well..

And now, all of their great restaurant reviews are available in their new book, Clean Plates: Manhattan, with over 100 restaurants (including 40 new restaurants for 2011) for health-conscious carnivores, vegetarians, raw foodists, vegans, and anyone looking for great, healthy restaurants all over the city!

How to Detox or Cleanse the RIGHT Way

By: Thursday, January 6, 2011 Diet and Foods, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0

What Is Detoxing?

Regardless of how well we eat and how much we minimize our exposure to harmful toxins, our bodies can derive a whole lot of good from a detox or cleanse that is approached responsibly.  Toxins can build up in our livers, kidneys, and digestive tracts, leading to a whole slew of uncomfortable phenomena:  fatigue, constipation, skin breakouts, low libido, premature aging, and weight gain… not to mention far worse, long-term effects like lowered immunity, liver toxicity, and, yes, the big C.

The practice of detoxifying the body is an ancient one, from the ancient Greek and Roman concepts of “autointoxication,” to the ritual fasts that are a part of nearly every single documented religion (used for both spiritual and health benefits).  Today, we know more about the effects of these practices, and have honed in on methods that are less extreme, but equally beneficial, and can fit into our busy, everyday lives.  Cleanses can vary in intensity from juice fasts, to raw food diets, to taking special supplements to detoxify various organs.  Here are the easiest and healthiest ways to detoxify and cleanse your system, from least to most intensive.

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nymag: “Vegetables are the New Meat”

By: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 Diet and Foods, Healthy Eating , , , Permalink 0

NYmag declared in last week’s issue that Vegetables Are The New Meat, in an article describing New York’s new found love for all things vegetable.  David Chang, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, even Mario Batali are all adding vegetable-focused cuisine to their new restaurants and menus.  And it’s about time!!  With all the city’s amazing farmer’s markets, bursting at the seams with colorful, delicious, local produce, New Yorkers are wising up to the idea that a delicious, 5-star meal does not need to be centered around a meat or protein to be amazing, satisfying, and worth the money.  So get over your meat-and-potatoes mindset, and start chowing down some black kale, sunchokes, and kabocha squash!

Also check out:
Six Veggie Staples
and Quiz: Are You a Vegivore?

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Step Four: Restructure Your Eating Habits

By: Friday, November 12, 2010 Diet and Foods, Healthy Eating, Nutrition , , , Permalink 0

5 Steps to Healthier Eating in the New Year | The Organic Beauty Blog

By now we have (hopefully) all made drastic changes to the products we put on and around our bodies. We have become more mindful of ingredients, and realized that harmful toxins and carcinogens enter our body through ways other than our mouths.  But how we eat is still the most impactful and important method of promoting total body health… Unfortunately, it is also the hardest.  Buying new beauty products or cleaning products is as easy as checking out at the grocery store, it doesn’t involve a complete makeover of habits we have been honing and reinforcing for, well, as long as we have been conscious, really.  This is the  most important of the 4 Steps is therefore most difficult to incorporate into your life.

But I’m going to make it easy for you!!!

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The Magic of Apple Cider Vinegar

By: Wednesday, November 3, 2010 Diet and Foods, Healthy Baby, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Nutrition, Organic Beauty, Product Reviews, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

Get this… what common ingredient in your kitchen cupboard can accomplish all of the following:

  • Relieve gastrointestinal discomfort
  • Help with weight loss
  • Stabilize blood sugar
  • Cure acid reflux and indigestion
  • Prevent and heal acne, eczema and dermatitis
  • Cure allergies
  • Get rid of warts
  • Improve overall immunity
  • Detoxify the body
  • Slow the aging process
  • Make hair shiny and full
  • Relieve seasonal allergies
  • Cure a sore throat

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar!!  Amazing, right?  How does it manage to be such a miraculous cure-all?  Well, the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar helps your body metabolize fat and stabilize blood sugar.  Its high content of over 50 vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, and minerals in very specific combination do wonders for your body, while its antiseptic, anti-fungal and antimicrobial qualities help heal skin problems and ward off illness.

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Ladies, Lay off the Fries and Chips!

By: Wednesday, November 3, 2010 Diet and Foods, Healthy Eating , , , , Permalink 0

A new study in the British Journal of Cancer found that acrylamide, the chemical that is released when starchy foods (particularly potatoes) are fried at high temperatures, is associated with an average of 40% greater risk of breast cancer among pre-menopausal women.  So not only do fried foods pile on the pounds, make your skin breakout, and increase your risk of heart disease, they now officially cause cancer as well…  Think about it… are those Fritos really worth that much risk?

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Find a Farmer’s Market Near You!

By: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Lifestyle, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0

Find a Farmer's Market Near You | The Organic Beauty Blog

A BIG part of the Organic Beauty philosophy of looking and feeling great is the quality of the food we put in our bodies.  I’ll go into this in more detail in my forthcoming installation of the 5 Steps series, but suffice it to say that eating organic food is of great importance to the health of our bodies.  Eliminating pesticides, hormones and chemicals from the meat and produce we eat is paramount to maintaining great health (and beauty!), and the best way to do this is to limit our intake to foods that are certified organic.

I understand that cost of organic food can be prohibitive to many people.  When faced with the choice of purchasing a 5 conventional avocados for $3, versus one organic avocado for 99 cents, it can be difficult to justify the cost.  BUT, you’ll be happy to know that there is a way around this issue!  A way to eat healthy, unprocessed, locally grown food that comes from small, often family owned farms.  This food may not be certified organic (due to the hoops the USDA makes small farms jump through to get certification), but it is almost always grown without pesticides, hormones, and additives.  And the best part?  Someone from the farm is right there in front of you, available to answer whatever questions you may have about their growing or feeding practices!

Where is this magical, wondrous place, you might ask?  Your local farmer’s market!  If you don’t live in New York City, California, or Madison, Wisconsin, where farmer’s markets can be found wherever you look, you can use the search function on Local Harvest‘s site to find farmer’s markets, CSAs, farms, co-ops, and retailers that sell local, organic produce near you.  Stuck in Skokie, Illinois?  Boom.  Find all the details for the Skokie Farmer’s Market.  Road-tripping through Denton, Texas?  There may not be a farmer’s market, but there are two great co-ops that sell local, organic food.

Nearly wherever you are in the country, you have options for eating well beyond the crazy price tags of Whole Foods.  Farmer’s markets have amazing bargains on organic and local foods, and you always have the option of negotiating with the purveyor!  Try getting away with that at Whole Foods!

The bottom line is that cost is no longer a reason to not eat healthy.  Your longevity, health, and physique are worth finding where and how to put the right things into your body.  Make it happen!

Top 5 Beauty Foods

By: Friday, August 13, 2010 Diet and Foods, Healthy Beauty, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Nutrition , , , , Permalink 0

Top 5 Beauty Foods | The Organic Beauty Blog
We all know that what we put in our bodies has a direct effect on how we look (did you really think that huge pimple you woke up with had NOTHING to do with the Cheetos and chocolate binge the night before?), but did you know that you can custom tailor your diet to maximize your beauty and combat your problem areas? Incorporate the following foods into your diet, and you will find yourself with shinier hair, clearer, radiant skin, strong nails, and a trim mid-section… All without setting foot in the beauty aisle!  As always, shoot for organic whenever possible…

So hit your greenmarket and start eating your way to a more beautiful you!

Asparagus

This lovely green powerhouse is loaded with Vitamin E, which is an absolute beauty must.  High doses of Vitamin E have been shows to increase cell reproduction and slow the aging process.  Stave off premature wrinkles and age spots, keep your skin moist and supple, prevent dandruff and hair loss, and heal scars faster… all with this delicious summer veggie.  Try adding grilled asparagus to soups and salads, or just add a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt for a super easy side dish!

Berries

Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, oh my!  Not only are these little guys super high in Vitamin C, which regulates sebaceous glands to keep skin, hair, and nails moist and strong, and helps to produce collagen which strengthens the capillaries that feed your skin, but they ALSO have a super high antioxidant capacity, which protects your skin from free radicals and sun damage, and can prevent and reverse aging.  Phew!  How’s that for multi-tasking!  Throw some berries into your cereal or oatmeal every morning to keep them working for you all day long.  Or incorporate berries into your desserts, smoothies, and salads.  I love adding a handful of blueberries to a spinach salad!

Garlic

The amazing effects garlic has on cholesterol, immunity, cancer prevention, blood sugar, AND blood pressure have been lauded for decades.  What is a lesser known benefit is garlic’s effects on your skin and hair.  Garlic contains high levels of sulfur, which has long been used topically to treat acne.  Eating sulfur-rich garlic can have similar effects on your skin from within, clearing up acne and skin infections.  The high sulfur levels are also great for preventing hair loss, and keeping hair strong and shiny.  Basically, garlic is the single best thing for your body, inside and out!  Add garlic to everything you cook, from pastas and stews, to salads and stir fries.

Green Tea

A super potent antioxidant, green tea can stave off signs of aging, curb hunger, and keep you skinny.  But a lesser known benefit is its anti-inflammatory qualities, which protect your cell membranes, reduce sun damage, prevent all kinds of cancer, and keeps bacteria at bay.  And contrary to some (mis)information out there, a good quality green tea will not dehydrate you, and the caffeine levels are not so high that you can’t enjoy a few cups a day.  In the summer, I like to make a big pitcher of iced Genmaicha, which is green tea with roasted brown rice, which also helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels!

Salmon

With all the coverage its been getting in the media, we all know that Omega-3 fatty acids are vital for our overall health, keeping our hearts strong, combating depression, and staving off a slew of diseases and ailments.  But the Omega-3’s and potent levels of Vitamin D in salmon are also imperative for keeping our skin, hair, and nails strong, moist, supple, and young.  Vitamin D is also great for your pearly whites, and prevents dental decay.  As if all this weren’t enough to evidence to give salmon a permanent slot on your shopping list, it also contains astaxanthin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that fight wrinkles and premature aging. Eat a 3 ounce portion of salmon at least once a week, but make sure it is wild-caught Alaskan salmon, which has the lowest concentrations of mercury.  I like to prepare salmon en papillote, by tucking it into two pieces of parchment paper, garnished with slices of onion, parsley, olive oil and lemon, and baking it at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  So yummy!

Check out my recipe for Total Beauty Salad, that incorporates all of these powerhouse ingredients!

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