healthy and beautiful

Yesterday, Well & Good posted an article revealing what nutritionists eat at holiday parties.  My “one thing” listed was Scotch. As you can see below, I mention Scotch but there’s also food involved. I thought I’d share my unedited answer, lest you follow the Scotch diet. Generally, I’m running out the door, after my last client, to the party or event. My pre-party taxi snack involves our Foodtrainers’ nutcase (shameless I know but I have one in every purse) filled with anything from All Good Provisions goji trail mix to Himalania dark choc chia seeds. I also sniff peppermint essential oil as a quick pick me up and appetite suppressant. At the party, I’m a one and done drink girl. My winter spirit of choices is Scotch and I have it “neat” as it’s easy to nurse that way. I’m allergic to wheat so party food choices are limited which is totally fine. I try to pick a few items and stick to those. The whole pupu platter approach never ends well. I’ll pick from shrimp cocktail, sashi...

Last week I received multiple emails entitled “cheese is crack” referring to an LA Times article .   Yeah, yeah I thought as I clicked through, I could’ve told you that. Cheese is my dietary kryptonite. What I didn’t know was this: “Casomorphins attach to the brain’s opiate receptors to cause a calming effect in much the same way heroin and morphine do," said Barnard.  And since cheese has a concentrated content of casomorphins, Barnard suggested it may be called dairy crack. While many associate sugar with a drug-like or addictive response, I thought cheese lovers were simply eating cheese because it’s the most delicious food in the universe. I am not sure if this notion of “calming cheese” makes me want to eat more or less of it but it makes sense to me. When cheese is in my life or kitchen, it’s hard to see it in my refrigerator drawer and pass it up. Fortunately, having not been to the Farmer’s market this week, I am cheese free. Fingers crossed no casomorph withdrawal. No...

I’ve been working on a heart healthy post for Fitbit since February is Heart Month. Some of my advice will be expected, you know eat your omega-3 foods and exercise but I’ve become obsessed with a vitamin I didn’t know that much about before. I know this sounds strange, after all vitamins aren’t exactly like snacks items popping up all the time. This vitamin K2 plays key role in the prevention of heart disease, osteoporosis and even cancer and wasn’t on my radar before. If vitamin K sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of K1 (as I was). K1’s key function is blood clotting and if you or a family member has been on a blood thinning med you probably know K (think leafy greens) plays a role. K2 can be produced by K1 but we can also get K2 from certain foods and bacteria in our guts can produce it. Without getting too sciencey, K2 is sort of like an advisor or therapist for calcium and vitamin D.  K2 encourages calcium and vitamin D head to our bones and teeth and discourag...