healthy and beautiful

Yesterday was our annual summer trip to the Fancy Food show. Basically, the Javitz Center is filled with a million food booths, some healthier than others. I have to give us a little credit and say we have become pros at the food fair thing. We didn’t eat ourselves into complete food comas or sample any more ice cream . Plus, we hit our 10k steps right away. It was great to see many Foodtrainers’ friends – Banza , Organic LivingSuperfoods (love the new look) and Grady’s cold brew . As always, we were on the hunt for new products too. Here are a few Fancy faves we’ll fill you in on, others we’re keeping a secret for our September Squeeze program and the Foodtrainers’ shop. Super Sauces : do you believe in love at first bite? Filfil garlic hot sauce was my first taste of the day and my favorite. With over 20 cloves of garlic per bottle you may not want to consume this before a date or important meeting, but I   promise you’ll fall in love with this spicy new Brooklyn based brand. W...

lauren and I have the travel bug in a major way; we are both Semester at Sea alums and plan our lives around our next trip. She’s off to Nicaragua; I’m Moab and Amalfi coast. But first we have a quickie work trip to California this weekend (Expo West, anyone?). Quick trips can actually wreck you more than long ones. There’s little time to recalibrate or workout but there are still restaurant meals -- ok and drinks too. We all can all fall victim to “plane pounds” if not careful. So here is a sample day or a “walk through” for my travel day tomorrow: Night before I’ll pack my Foodtrainers’ Food First Aid Kit. I never go away without it. Contents vary but I always have our nutcase and nuts (current love: Organic Living cinnamon pecans), 1 snack per day away (I’m thinking Yes Bars) probiotics, tea, cocochia, natural calm and green magic. En route to airport Water spiked with with apple cider vinegar + coffee, coffee, coffee. Pre flight fuel:  2 hard-boiled omega-3 eggs ( lauren will l...

There are certain ingredients many of you could identify as unhealthy. Artificial sweeteners, trans fats, BPAs and GMOs are likely on your radar.  However, a study in Nature raised health and weight concerns for a group of ingredients you may not even know about. Do emulsifiers ring a bell? I’ll be totally honest, I had to think back to Food Science classes…mayo is an emulsification. Without nerding out emulsifications are mixtures where one substance is suspended in another. In mayo, the egg emulsify or combine things. But egg yolks are natural emulsifiers, this recent study (and a couple prior) honed in on chemical emulsifiers. These additives are used in many products for texture and to extend shelf life. I talk a lot about probiotics; kombucha, kefir, miso and apple cider vinegar are Foodtrainers’ staples.   Having more good bacteria can improve our mood, immunity and weight. But what if something prevalent in healthy food is harming gut bacteria? Yup, that’s what these c...

Most years, I have more interest in the food than the football on Super Bowl Sunday. But we love the Broncos; our dog is named Bronco so I’ll be watching. And according to statistics, so will most of you. This concerns me, I have heartburn just thinking about Super Bowl food where team healthy is the biggest underdog around. Instead of suggesting what to skip, Carolyn and I decided to make a crudité plate that could compete. No sad, wet baby carrots and a hummus container can do that. If you need some crudité coaching, check out our  #CooCoo4crudite video Crudite Starting Lineup Here is the recipe for the dip we mention in the video Super bowl Spicy Tahini ¼ cup Tahini 2 Tbs lemon juice 2 Tbs olive oil 1 Tbs Apple cider vinegar ¼ tsp. Sunny Bang probiotic hot sauce ¼ tsp. Wakaya turmeric Himalayan salt and pepper to taste. Complicated Instructions: mix/whisk together & amp up spice, salt & pepper if needed. *I’ve made with coconut oil but you need to increase the heat if yo...

this wasn't backward (squatty) when we were filming I'll write about recipes and books another day. Today I have our latest embarrassing Youtube video . I don't even know if it's embarassing because we like tackling touchy topics. And "going" is something we're asked a lot about. Going matters. I know more about nutrition than taking screenshots . In this video, we introduce five of our top 10 foods that help "make shit happen" (I can't help myself this is bringing out my inner six year old). For the other five? You have to sign up for our January Whipping Weeks. Spaces still remain. For more information and to start 2016 on track, email info@foodtrainers.net with Whipping Week in the subject line. What are your go to "go" foods? Any topics you want us to cover?

Me/laptop and bulletin board (why crop)   Thank goodness there’s a shift away from tiresome calorie counting. If you counted the calories in your breakfast, step away from My Fitness Pal. it’s not a real pal. Instead, think about the quality of your food. What your food to do for you (as always it’s all about you). Do you need more energy? Maybe some “GI” assistance, I discussed a reliable remedy for that in Tuesday. Or are you hungry all the time? Do you you overeat? Often want something more after a meal?  I hear you. Last week, I sat down with CBS at the beautiful, new Madison Square location for Dig Inn. The topic? Foods that cut your cravings, at Foodtrainers we dubbed these foods Full Foods . Here are five foods to keep you satisfied longer: Yogurt - yogurt is a fermented or probiotic food. Greek yogurt or Siggi’s Skyr is also higher in protein. Fermented foods improve appetite signals to the brain (shortens that lag between eating and realizing you ate) and protein at...

Monday we sent out our Spring break newsletter . If you placed an order, be patient. Many people did (thank you) and my partner in food crime, Carolyn, is conveniently Spring Breaking in Cartagena. I’m going away late next week (thank fucking god). This week I’ve been readying clients for their trips (I love hearing where people are going).  So what do I bring? Green juice/airplane meal - I am obsessive about both starting a trip on track healthfully and avoiding plane food. Chugging a green juice while I wait on the security line and bringing a kale salad or and avocado sandwich on Paleo or gluten free bakery bread are my staples. Who knows what lies ahead, control what you can. In flight - I’m very ritualistic which is the best euphemism for compulsive. I bring my Wakaya for when the drink cart comes around. Generally I’ll get hot water. If it’s an overnight flight this may be Wakaya/vodka (feel free to judge).  Vitamins - many people leave these at home and I feel they’re...

  I’m obsessed with probiotics. The more I researched them for The Little Book of Thin , the more I thought that if there is a weight loss secret- this may be it. That’s actually how I learned of this cutting edge (and I do think that’s what this is) new nutrition book. Brenda Watson, author and TV personality, liked what I had to say about probiotics  and now her new book The Skinny Gut Diet   explains everything you need to know about probiotics.  I was really excited to read this book. If you like to nerd out on nutrition and science, here’s your chance. For example,  gut bacteria are different for obese people versus lean. “Each of us has a unique balance of bacteria that protects and keeps us healthy or leaves us susceptible to disease. This same balance can contribute to either weight gain or weight loss.” However, as eager as I was as  I continued reading I was grew increasingly discouraged. There’s a discussion about how our bacteria are formed...