Nutrition For Your Face

A healthy diet helps your skin look and feel great. When I became interested in nutrition as a teenager, I remember making the conscious decision to start eating healthier. Specifically, I tried to eat more fruits and veggies, leaner cuts of meat and more whole grains. Like most teenagers, lets just say my skin wasn't perfect! VERY far from it. However, after I started eating healthier foods, I noticed a significant improvement in my skin, which of course motivated me to continue the habit.

While healthy foods are certainly good for your body on the inside, they're also good for the outside too! Recently, I've been testing some new face and body scrubs recipes and I thought it would be fun to share one. Homemade scrubs are so easy to make and the ingredients are probably already in your pantry. The best part is that it's totally affordable and made from natural ingredients. No bizzare chemicals, just healthy, good-for-you things! Here is a super easy recipe that you can totally make tonight...

Honey Face Scrub

Adapted from Facial Scrubs

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tsp olive oil

Optional: 1/2 tsp essential oil (I like lavender)

What To Eat When You Workout

This month has been a busy one. We're making plans to move, change jobs and accomplish all the business that goes along with that. Even though our schedule has been hectic, I try to make time to exercise at least 5 days each week because it helps clear my head. I also feel like it helps me deal with stress better, which is beneficial for me AND my family!

To workout well, it's important to eat well. I like to have a light snack before and after exercise to keep my energy levels up and help muscles recover. If you're the type of person who likes to workout early in the morning (and I am not), try to eat before exercising even though you may not feel like eating.
Since our body primarily uses carbohydrates to fuel exercise, aim to eat a snack that is high in carbohydrates, moderate in protein and low in fat.

This month, I did a 10k with a few friends and - much to my surprise - ran my best time yet. I credit training and a good pre-run snack of 1 banana, 1 cup of low-fat milk (which came in my tall latte) and a little caffeine about an hour before the run. It was a healthy, high-carb snack that didn't fill me up too much but gave me enough energy to cross the finish line strong.......and manage to win a nice prize! In fact, all of us did. See our happy faces?

Here are a few of my favorite go-to snacks that are perfect before a work out: 

1. Banana and 1 cup of low-fat or fat-free milk
2. 1 cup of low-fat yogurt with 1/4 cup granola
3. 1 slice 100% whole wheat toast and 1 tsp peanut butter
4. 1 medium apple and 1 oz reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

After a workout - and especially after resistance training - it's helpful to include a bit more protein to help muscles recover. Here are some some examples:

1. 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup diced pineapple on top
2. 1 cup chocolate milk and a handful of pretzels
3. 1 hard boiled egg and a handful of crackers

For more information about what to eat to fuel exercise, click here.

Cupcake Bliss

Hello.

So, this weekend I had a birthday. To celebrate nearing the end of my twenties, I decided to go out with a bang. A cupcake bang.

 

 
These cupcakes were so absolutely delicious, I had to tell you about them. The bakery - Sift Cupcake & Dessert Bar - is no ordinary one. They actually won an episode of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. Translation: Amazing. Cupcakes. So off we went, my husband and I to find these delicious treats. As we enter the store, this is what we see:

Cupcake Land!

While cupcakes definitely fit into the "rarely" food category in my diet, I still include them because....well, they're delicious. Here were our selections:

If you're ever in Santa Rosa, CA, definitely stop by this place. The service was great, the cupcakes were amazing and it was an awesome way to end my birthday!

How To Choose The Best Breakfast Cereal

Hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend! We have been very busy lately and consequently, a quick breakfast has become the norm around our house. Enter cereal. I don't mind this one bit because I love cereal. Who doesn't, really? It's probably one of my favorite things to eat. 

Simple. Easy. Healthy.

Thankfully, a healthy cereal with low-fat milk and a small piece of fruit is one of the best and easiest breakfasts around. But cereal has become a bit complicated these days. In a typical grocery store, an ENTIRE aisles may be devoted to breakfast cereal. This is confusing and can make choosing a cereal difficult. As if this wasn't enough, so many cereals contain massive amounts of sugar and other strange ingredients. So here are some tips for selecting the healthiest cereals for your family:

Look for:

• 6 grams of sugar or less per serving
• At least 3 grams of fiber per serving
• Whole grain as the first ingredient

Avoid cereals with: 

• Partially hydrogenated oils
• High fructose corn syrup 
• Artificial colors

Sometimes the health messages on food products can be deceiving. For example, just because a cereal box says “less sugar” doesn’t mean it is low sugar. Make sure to read the nutrition label to check if the cereal truly is low in sugar. Also, serving sizes vary depending on the brand. This information also can be found on the nutrition label. 

Happy breakfast eating!

Eat Healthy Affordably - Topic #3: Frozen Fruits and Veggies

My freezer is always stocked with frozen fruits and veggies. Why? Because they're convenient, cost-effective and best of all....nutritious! Including frozen produce in your diet is a great way to increase your overall fruit and veggie intake - something everyone can use a bit more of!

Sadly, it seems like frozen fruits and vegetables have developed something of a bad rap. Many are convinced that frozen produce is less healthy than fresh, but the reality is that - in most cases - it is equal in nutrition to cooked fresh produce. Once harvested, fruits and veggies are frozen to preserve quality and nutrients. Contrary to popular belief, there are no preservatives in frozen produce since the process of freezing preserves the food naturally. While it's still advisable to eat fresh whenever possible, frozen produce allows you to enjoy a variety of fruits and veggies year round at a fraction of the cost. And they store in the freezer for up to 6 months!

Veggies currently in my freezer

I have a few tips when it comes to picking and preparing the healthiest frozen options. First, always buy varieties with no added syrups or sauces to keep added fat, sugar and salt to a minimum. For example, if you're buying frozen asparagus, the ingredients should read "asparagus" only. Secondly, to preserve nutrients, cook in minimal liquid to prevent vitamins from leaching into the water (unless of course you will be consuming this water, for example in a soup).

Frozen vegetables frequently find their way into many of our family meals including pizzas, lasagna, soups, stews, casseroles, etc. With so many varieties of frozen produce available, the only problem will be deciding which recipe to use!


Here is one that my family really enjoys and happened to be our dinner tonight:

Homemade Spinach Pizza

For the dough, see this recipe
(I usually substitute 1 cup of white flour for 1 cup of whole wheat flour. It gives the dough a heartier taste and is slightly healthier).

For the Topping:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 Cup Frozen Spinach
1-2 Cups Reduced-Fat Mozzerella Cheese, Shredded
1/4 Cup pizza sauce (Frankly, I just mix together tomato paste with a little water. Use whatever you prefer.)
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (I like it spicy!)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Pro-tip: make the pizza dough in advance, divide and wrap into portions, and store in your freezer to preserve for up to 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remove one portion of dough from freezer and defrost in refrigerator for 24 hrs.  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Saute chopped garlic in olive oil. Once you smell the garlic, add frozen spinach and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat to defrost and remove some of the water. While that's cooking, grate the cheese. Next, flatten and stretch the pizza dough into a large round disk and lay onto pizza pan. I use nonstick cooking spray on the pan to prevent pizza from sticking. Spread pizza sauce onto dough, then top with the the garlic-spinach mixture. Finish by sprinkling cheese, herbs, salt and pepper on top. Confession: I also added a few slices of seared salami that I chopped into pieces. Anyhoo, bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.

Something tells me your family won't mind eating their veggies this way......

For more info on the nutrition in frozen produce, click here.

The Scoop On Detoxing

During high school and college, I worked as a waitress at a restaurant called Cilantro. This wasn't just any restaurant. It was a vegan, organic, "raw food" restaurant, serving meals made from only raw ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and oils. The clientele were mainly "raw foodists" - people whose diets were either 100% or mostly raw foods. I'll be honest, I tried it. That lasted....oh....about an hour. Now, after many years of education and experience in nutrition, I know better.

Eat a plant-based diet to improve your health

Raw-foodists believe that consuming a diet of mostly raw foods - and the enzymes they contain - is the key to preventing poor heath. Let me say for the record that of course I am in favor of consuming a variety of raw fruits and vegetables. Totally healthy. But eating an entirely raw food diet can leave you deficient in certain essential nutrients. Like most fad diets, scientifically this one holds no ground.

Raw foodism goes hand in hand with naturopathic medicine. So, it's no surprise that many patrons at Cilantro also took part in various cleanses and detoxes, which are important components to naturopathic treatment. Certainly, detoxes and cleanses are nothing new to us. Even if you're not a raw foodist, you've probably heard of them or even tried one. I was always fascinated by the types of detoxes people were on -- there was the lemon juice, water, cayenne pepper and maple syrup cleanse. There was the juice cleanse....oh, and the coconut water cleanse. The list goes on. Detox diets can last up to several weeks, many claiming to rid the body of toxins and help drop unwanted pounds.

The reality is that detox diets and cleanses are more of a marketing scam than anything else. Most are not tested for safety or effectiveness and may pose serious health risks for people taking medications, who are pregnant, nursing, older adults or growing children. Thankfully, our well-designed bodies do a fabulous job of eliminating toxins from our system - no lemon juice or cayenne pepper required!

So, yeah. I don't recommend anyone do a cleanse. Instead, to promote a healthy body, focus on eating a mostly plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats. Exercise regularly and achieve a healthy weight, if you are overweight. That's the best, and most well-tested, advice around. I know, it's not quite as exciting as a 5 day detox promising to make you drop 20lbs. But thankfully, healthy eating and exercise are safe and work every time!

You can read more about my take on holistic cleanses and detox diets here.

Party Food

Everyone knows a good party starts with good food. This weekend I co-hosted a bridal shower for one of my best friends. Her name is Deb. We go way back...like, 17 years back.

Meet my co-host, Kat and the bride to be, Deb

Deb and I share many common interests, but our favorites are laughing and eating......preferably at the same time. So naturally, I wanted to make sure the shower menu had lots of good food. Here's a recap of some of my favorites:

Yum.

Yum.

More Yum.

While deciding on the menu, I was reminded of how parties can wreak havoc on your diet. Don't get me wrong, I am a full supporter of indulging every once in a while. But it seems like "reasons" to indulge pop up pretty frequently in life....parties, birthdays, holidays, graduations, etc. Before you know it, indulging becomes commonplace instead of an occasional treat. To help enjoy celebrations without over-indulging (i.e. over-eating), I have a party plan. Here it is:

1. A few hours before the party, eat a healthy snack. This helps curb hunger, so I don't feel the need to devour an entire cheesecake.
2. Don't go back for seconds. I try my best to stick with one plate of food and only one alcoholic drink. FYI - I do this because it's recommended that women consume no more than 1 drink per day. For men, it's 2 drinks per day. 
3. Fill half the plate with fruits and veggies. This helps keep me full, provides healthy vitamins and minerals and lets me enjoy a few treats with the other half of my plate!

The shower was a success! Not only did everybody have a good time enjoying good company and good food but I actually managed to follow my own advice. Hooray!