May seasonal fruits

I'm excited to check out upcoming Farmer's Markets here in Los Angeles, the seasonal produce is changing and we'll get some of my favorite fruits that are not found other times of the year:
* apricots
* nectarines
* peaches
* figs
Vegetables like summer squash have been around earlier, and I really like this "What's in season" page for finding out what's around at the farmer's market. I'm a berry fan and often disappointed at what I see at the regular grocery stores, so I'm planning a trip to "pick your own berries" at this family farm.

If you're not able to get your berries everyday or if you're not a fan of berries, this ORAC supplement is a powerful delivery system of berries like cranberries and elderberry I don't get around to eating and can help support healthy vision. I have trouble with my night vision, and if I don't get my berries, I actually have cravings for berries! So I have a back-up of frozen berries in my freezer, and there is also my new favorite frozen Greek yogurt place that has terrific fruit toppings to help quench my cravings and cope with the hot weather. Seasonal fruits make for a quick healthy dessert or a great topping on salads. Hope you'll find or re-discover some favorites in the next few weeks!

Quality Eggs

Quality eggs are not obvious with all the different labels. Here's a great article from Organic Consumers Association on what words to look for: “Free Range” is better than “Cage Free,” but “Pasture Raised” is best. Avoiding cheap factory farm eggs is not only the right thing to do for your vote on agricultural practices but also for your health. Eggs got a bad rap in the 1980s about their nutrition, but when you get what I call "happy eggs," you'll get Omega-3 good fats and other important vitamins and minerals. Eggs are an inexpensive protein packed full of nutrients if you get the right ones. Egg-xcellent!

Chicken Barley and Pea Soup

Soup is a great way to use up your veggies and get your nutrition all in one bowl! Pre-make the soup so you have something ready-to-eat when you're too busy to cook. Total cooking time was about 30-45 minutes, depending how quickly you chop. Full of vitamins, protein and fiber, and covering the rainbow nutrition with peas, red onions, mushrooms and basil.

Outline of the recipe:
Crimini mushrooms (sliced), chix broth, frozen peas, carrots, sweet potatoes (and parsnops if you like 'em), 10-minute barley (cooks faster!). Put in more of what you like! I like extra mushrooms so I put in more.

Coconut Curry w Chicken and Beans

What to do with chicken leftovers? And for me, I don't really like the drier chicken meat of chicken breasts so I thought, how about coconut milk to give it some sauce? And how about some curry spice to give it some more flavor? And to stretch your meat out, veggies and beans give it more nutrition and extend your food budget.

Intro to Weight Loss

I've been getting inquiries to start a new weight loss group, so here is some introductory information:

1) A conference call recording that tells you the components of the nationally-successful program that provides great education, and as your coach, I customize it to help you meet your health goals!

2) An educational video that helps you understand LEPTIN and GREHLIN -- a great example of how much you'll learn about the FACTS of healthy weight loss instead of the wildfire myths of crash diets.

RESULTS guaranteed to lose belly inches in the first month if you follow the program guidelines. Other SIDE BENEFITS: better sleep, better immune system, happier digestive system, learn to breathe better and manage stress, discover healthier foods AND never be hungry! Drop me an email so we can help you find the BEST YOU!

There are weight loss student testimonials on my website if you want to know more.

Magnesium: super important mineral

February is Heart Health Month and it's time to get smart about your longevity and heart health! Magnesium is one of the super important minerals we should stay on top of. 60% of Americans don't get enough magnesium--and that impacts lots of health factors like your bone health and muscle recovery from hiking or exercise. And of course, your heart is a muscle, so anything that helps support healthy muscles is important for your heart health!

The question is HOW do I get enough magnesium from my diet? Leafy greens are the top of the list: spinach, swiss chard, pumpkin seeds, collard greens, sea vegetables, and the current popular kid-- kale. You can check the full list of food sources on this resource. However, if you're a busy person and don't eat at home for every meal OR you're getting muscle cramps/tightness from exercising, you will want to keep a high quality, highly absorbable magnesium supplement handy, for when you can feel the muscles not recover fast enough for your next tennis match or marathon training session. I love epsom salts baths but sometimes I don't want to wait until I get home for a bath, and honestly, I don't know how much magnesium I'm actually absorbing from the bath. Food sources are preferred as a baseline, but be aware that we're not sure how much of the nutrients are in your batch of veggies. As Dr. Al Sears says: "You can get more magnesium by eating nuts, seeds, dairy products and dark green, leafy vegetables. But modern farming practices have depleted much of the mineral content in our soil, so there’s not much magnesium in vegetables any more."

Here's a tip about kale. Some people think kale is a little bitter, and when I sautee kale with garlic and a little splash of white wine, it helps tenderize and sweeten the leaves. Kale chips have been quite the rage lately, but I find that store-bought ones have a lot of extra flavoring I'm not fond of. Baking your own requires a little trial and error, so be careful not to burn your leaves. I'm pleased to report that I've found a wonderful bacon-flavor without the badness of bacon through using a hickory flavored sea salt I found at the farmer's market. Contrary to popular discussion, a little bit of salt on home-cooking isn't bad for your heart health. It's the restaurant and fast-food overkill of salt usage that is what we should cut out. The more you cook and eat your own food that is less processed, the easier it is to be good to your heart health. And if you can use supplements appropriately to provide a higher level of nutrition, even better!

Buying pre-packaged foods

A lot of people tell me: "I don't cook, but I eat healthy! I buy my food from (pick one: Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc)" Where you buy your food does not signify healthy. WHAT you buy is what is healthy. You can get organic lettuce at the 99 cent store, and you can get a gluten-free high-sugar snack from Whole Foods. Which is healthier for you?

It's really hard to eat enough fruits and veggies if you don't cook. Minimally, you must wash, chop and/or peel sometimes. You really don't need to be a gourmet cook, or spend hours in the kitchen. Most of my meals take 5-20 minutes to prepare. I call it "making food" so that you know it is different than when I really hunker down to cook.

So, I have given myself the task of buying pre-packaged foods to see what my weight-loss/nutrition students really eat. Here is one example of my analysis:

---Prepackaged Rice Noodle Bowl, Mushroom Flavor, Ready-to-Eat in 3 minutes---
Flavor= good, has garlic mushroom taste from the flavor packets
Sodium= 29% RDA per serving. Here is the sneaky thing, the label says there is 2 servings per package. That means you are getting almost 60% of your RDA for sodium in one bowl of noodles! EEK! No more salty food for today!
Fiber= ZERO = Simple Carbs (bad for low-glycemic index eating)
Vitamins= 2% Vitamin C & Calcium X 2 (because I'm eating the whole bowl) = 4% Vitamin C & Calcium
Calories= 140 X 2 = 280

In all, this bowl of noodles is filling 280 calories of simple carbs.
How to make this a decent food item?
1) Get some lean protein like chicken or wild salmon
2) Cook a side of leafy green veggies and put on top
3) Treat this noodle bowl as a "side" and not an entree--the entree is the lean protein and veggies.

If you're opting for pre-packaged food, look in the deli section for more "fresh" sandwiches, hummus, sushi. If you're opting for canned or dry foods, look for veggie-based dishes like the vacuum-packed Indian eggplant dish or a carton of butternut squash soup. Ultimately, you want to put together your pre-packaged food with fresh veggies or fruit or other food (like lean protein) so that you can have a well-rounded nutrient-dense, and healthy low-glycemic meal.

5-minute lazy healthy soup

How many of you come home from work and can't seem to think about what to eat?

This is my solution to the after-work, can't-think lazy healthy soup recipe:

Ingredients (please don't measure too precisely--after all, it is lazy!)
* Water (about 3-4 cups--depends on the size of your soup bowl)
* Miso soup base (either powder or from non-GMO organic fresh paste)
* 2 handfuls of green leafy veggies -- organic mixed salad greens, baby bok choy (1-in chopped), anything dark and green (as opposed to dark and handsome!)
* 2-3 tbls frozen peas (a little fiber boost)
* 1/2 cup pre-cooked wild rice or brown rice (I have pre-cooked rice in the fridge for lazy and emergency hunger).
* Your choice of lean protein. I use frozen seafood (scallops, shrimp, langostino) that makes my lazy soups feel like a treat. If you have leftover chicken or other leftover lean protein, this is a good excuse to eat it up.
* Optional ingredients: fresh non-GMO organic tofu (if you're vegetarian), seaweed strips, dulse, toasted black sesame, any japanese spicing that has sesame and seaweed, sesame oil, diced green onions and/or cilantro, salt and pepper.

How:
1) Boil water. While water is heating, wash and chop your green leafy veggies. Put aside (this is last to put into the soup.
2) Add miso powder or paste to the boiling water. Put in your frozen seafood option and your frozen peas. If you aren't putting something in frozen, then put in your leftover lean protein.
3) Add rice, and fresh leafy greens. Do not overcook the greens. Turn off the stove when you see your greens are still bright green, and only slightly wilted. The broth will continue cooking the greens.
4) Put your optional flavors in the bowl before pouring in the soup. I like to put dulse and seaweed strips to help detox my body. Black sesame and a small dash of sesame oil for good hair. Green onions and cilantro if I have them in the fridge and I'm not too lazy to chop them. Freshly ground black pepper and salt (if needed--depends on your broth).

VOILA! 5-minute lazy healthy soup with minimal prep. Nutrient-dense, low-glycemic, and you're getting in at least 2-3 servings of vegetables, 1 serving of fiber (from the peas and wild rice), and your lean protein. I eat this at least 1x a week to get my sea vegetables into my nutrition. Sometimes, I eat this soup as often as 2-3x a week because I've had a long day. I feel full because of the fiber and veggies and lean protein, but it feels like a very light soup (as opposed to chili that can feel heavy).

Enjoy!

Fad Diets Slow Down Your Metabolism

I'm saddened by mass marketing that hits my inbox promoting unhealthy low-calorie plans. These quick-fix plans market quick "weight loss" but actually could damage your health and slow down your metabolism and drives sugar cravings and yo-yo dieting.

For example, Nutrisytem is promoted by the Costco emails, where their meal replacement system of shakes and high-sodium prepared meals does not teach people about nutrition or what to do at a social occasions (such as parties and restaurants). When people stop buying their meals and eat "normal" again, they gain the weight back. Yo-yo dieting.

Here's the latest one promoted by "Daily Candy" which is fun for clothes shopping tips, but this one really hurts on marketing bad eating habits--promoting Slim Fast shakes and bars that sound like candy and only *one* sensible 500 calorie meal. It makes me think of the scenes from the movie "Wall-E" of people slurping on shakes and not really eating anything healthy or fresh. Instead, we should be eating more unprocessed nutrient-dense low-glycemic food, whole grains and organic/wild fruits and veggies with lean protein. Here is an excerpt of marketing bad eating habits:

"The simple, clinically proven way to lose weight quickly includes three nourishing snacks, two shakes or meal bars (salivate over new flavors like chocolate cookie dough, chocolate fudge brownie, and rich chocolate royale), and one sensible 500-calorie meal daily."

Sure you can lose weight quickly, then what? Yo-yo back into gaining weight or hitting a wall of chronic low-energy?

Here's the science: If you eat below your RMR levels (minimum amount of calories for basic body functions--not including physical activity), you're slowing down your metabolism and telling your body to store fat instead. Calculate your individual RMR here.

Instead, we want to teach your body to burn fat. Check out how Transitions Lifestyle System is a much better option for life-long healthy eating and lifestyle choices. We teach lean body composition and how good you fit in your clothes, not just watching the number on the scale. We learn that not all calories are the same--there are healthier calories vs. calories that don't help you. Learning to do the right thing and smart food combination choices is something you can sustain for life in any social situation.

Happy International Women's Day!

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." - Virginia Woolf


March is not only Women's Herstory Month, it is also National Nutrition Month.
How can you "dine well"? Challenge yourself to see if you can cover the colors of the rainbow in a week or even a day!
Studies have shown that children who are taught to eat the colors of the rainbow learn to try new vegetables and fruits and learn to eat healthier. Here's the exercise: Write down a list of colors of the rainbow (and include brown for ginger and mushrooms) and think of the foods you like to eat. If you don't have a food you already eat, think of a food you would like to try. If it works for kids, give it a try for yourself!

One of my Transitions students is famous for her "pretty salads" where she puts a lot of color and includes nuts into her salads. Here's a link to learning how to put together your own colorful salad.

Gourmet on a Budget

As a big foodie coming of age in Berkeley with the influences of ethnic cuisine and chef Alice Waters, the concept of eating fresh, local, and organic is not only a political and health mindset, but one of the tastebuds!

This week, I took advantage of the Gelson's mailer coupons--and saved $2 off a $10 deli purchase. What did I get? My favorites of smoked salmon and prosciutto. With the $2 I saved, I put that towards stuffed grape leaves.

At the 99 cent store, I was hunting for my bag or basket of organic salad greens and noticed a display of cactus tortillas known as "nopaltillas." If you adhere to the low-glycemic load lifestyle of eating, you probably know that corn by itself is a high-glycemic load food. So this cactus tortilla was really exciting to me-- I love nopales (part of mexican cuisine) but don't know how to cook it. The fiber and calcium from the organic nopales make the tortilla even better, with higher nutrient density and tasty all-in-one!

What yummy food creation does this create? I melted thin slices of some spanish sheep's milk manchego cheese in my new food discovery of nopaltillas, and used my kitchen scissor to cut them into quarters. Then I draped slices of my discounted but gourmet italian prosciutto on top. I also pulled out my leftover bok-choy sautee from my local farmer's market lady who has no-pesticide veggies to add more greens to my meal.

Wow! Mexican+Spanish+Italian with a side of Chinese. That's world traveling all in one meal.

Updated "Dirty Dozen" fruits and vegetables

The Environmental Working Group has released a sneak peak at their updated "Dirty Dozen." These are the fruits and veggies you need to prioritize buying organic because the pesticide content you ingest is the worst if you buy conventional. Of the clean list, you can buy conventional and not worry about your health.

If you're watching your budget while shopping for organic produce, a great strategy is to go to the Farmer's Market 1 hour before closing to get great deals. For example, if you know the market closes at 2pm, go at 1:15pm and you'll start hearing "one dollar/pound specials." You might not get everything on your list because the selections might be slimmer, but if you're looking for apples, there should be plenty of apples to choose from.

Here's more with shopping tips on where I find my organic produce in L.A.

Can't download easily? Here's the Dirty Dozen list to prioritize organic: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, kale/collard greens, potatoes, grapes (imported).

Antioxidants and injuries

When I hurt my ankle (really badly--the swelling was unbelievable), I had excellent attention from the physical therapists I work with. Beyond their treatments and icing, I knew I needed a strong anti-inflammatory program to calm down the inflammation surrounding the injury and my body's higher level of stress. My body needed more fuel and ingredients for the healing process. I didn't want to take any drugs that may have side effects, so I went the natural route of antioxidants and diligently took a therapeutic program of: OPC, Vitamin C, CoQ10, Omega-3, and Quercetin.

As you might know, the vitamin levels recommended as the RDA are not necessarily sufficient for optimal health. Rather, those levels are to set at rates to keep you from getting diseases like scurvy. Different wellness doctors recommend levels of vitamin C that would be tough to include in your food diet. Optimal health levels can be found in nutrition books like The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book (a lit review by well-respected nutrition and health writers Shari Lieberman, PhD & Nancy Bruning, MPH). I really like this book because it does a thorough literature review, so you're not getting one isolated study that happened to hit the news. I could eat a lot of my favorite fruits high in vitamin C, like kiwis and strawberries, but when dealing with an injury, I wouldn't be able to eat enough fruit to get the therapeutic dosages I was looking for.

For your body to use vitamins well there are 3 factors:
1) Input -- Does the food or supplement have the vitamins and levels you want?
2) Digestion/Absorption -- Does your stomach/gut break down the pills, vitamins or food well?
3) Usability -- Is the vitamin in a form that your body can use it well? Do you have a genetic pre-disposition that doesn't use the vitamin well? If so, do you need more or a different form of that vitamin or mineral?

I personally don't like taking pills (nor does my stomach because there are some fillers and binders in pills that need breaking down), so whenever I can get a more absorbable liquid formulation, it means my body is absorbing and using more (factors 2 and 3). And when it is isotonic-capable, I'm absorbing up to 94% of what the label says, instead of the up to 40% in pill form. A leading wellness doctor used to give her patients IV vitamin therapy, and now she rarely uses the IV when there is the less expensive and very powerful option of a patient taking her vitamins daily--vitamins that are absorbed at the highest capacity.

* OPC=oligomeric proanthocyanidins which is the family of antioxidants including resveratrol (red wine extract), bilberry extract (cousin of blueberry), pine bark extract, and grapeseed extract

Kale with Garlic and White Wine: Quick Recipe

Don't know what to do with Kale? There are so many different kinds. My favorite is more tender--the curly red kale or a curly green kale. The other kales seem to have a tougher texture. If you have other ideas about the many varieties of kale, please send them in!

Kale is great for detoxing, and I think of it is one of Mother Nature's wonder sweepers. That's right, it helps sweep your system clean! Even better- this takes less than 15 minutes to prep and cook. Organic Kale is encouraged to avoid pesticide toxicity.

Ingredients
1 Bunch Kale
2-3 tbl olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
fresh ground pepper
2-3 dashes of white wine or veggie broth

1) Strip the leaves away from the stalk. You can just tear away, as if you were tearing a piece of paper. Throw out the stalks (they are too tough for my tastes!). Rinse the leaves in water and strain. If the leaves are bit wilted, leave in water for about 5 minutes, allowing the leaves to plump up from the water.
3) If you like shredded leafy dishes, then you can take the leaves to the chopping board and chop them as you wish. I like to cook quickly since I'm usually hungry, so I just cook the leaves as I tore them.
4) Prep garlic--2-3 cloves chopped or as they are peeled.
5) Heat pan/skillet at high heat. When it's warm (about 30 seconds) a few dashes of olive oil will give a thin layer to the bottom of the pan. Wait 10 sec, then put in garlic to sizzle! Fresh ground pepper in the oil now helps gives a more roasty taste to the pepper. When the garlic is slightly brown, add leaves. Stir with spatula so that the leaves are thinly coated with the black pepper and olive oil about 20 sec.
6) Add 2-3 dashes of wine or veggie broth to bring out the veggie flavor. Wine helps make the kale sweet and you get some extra antioxidants!
7) Turn heat down to medium and cover to help cook the kale. Check the kale in 30 seconds-1 minute. It should be ready and a rich bright green color...as with all stir fry, don't let the green veggies start going brown--take them off the stove as they are just wilted and know they continue cooking from the heat. You want the veggies barely cooked and brightly colored.
ENJOY!

Other great kale recipes you can try can be found on this world's healthiest food encyclopedia site.

Yummy Halibut Recipe

From one of my favorites--- wellness doctor and author: Dr. Mark Hyman
A great halibut recipe that brings in a rainbow of veggies, low glycemic load, and a yummy lean protein.

Restaurant Survival Guide

Here's a link to tips from Nancy Bruning, MPH on how to stay lean when eating at restaurants. Easy weight management/nutrition tool!
Just in time for Valentine's Day!

On Nancy Bruning's Talk Show: This Thurs 2/4 9amPST/12pmEST

Valentine's Day is around the corner and we've got strategies for you to stay healthier while surrounded by sweets that can give you a few extra pounds. Avoid the sabotage, with our healthy living strategies.

Live radio show on Thurs February 4 at 9am PST, or listen to the recording at your leisure. We would love to hear your questions! You can call in with your questions, or email them to us in advance.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nancercize

Eat "nutty" to boost your health

Why do you need to eat "nutty"?
Generally, we should eat more nuts and legumes (lentils, beans) than the typical American diet. As you integrate more nutrient-rich nuts and legumes into your food regimen, you'll also end up eating less of the simple carbohydrates, so you can eat well with the low-glycemic food with less effort!

Eat 1-2 Brazil nuts per day to get the selenium you need. And you need the selenium so that you can keep your body's supply of at least 3 other nutrients intact: vitamin C, glutathione, and vitamin E.

If you don't like eating nuts, there is also the ground brazil nut protein powder that I add 1 tablespoon to my gluten-free pancake batter recipe or any other baking efforts to give that nutrient boost and extra crisp.

Selenium is a very important antioxidant and is known to be a depleted mineral from U.S. soil. If you've taken medications in the cortisol family, you are particularly vulnerable to selenium deficiency. Also, you can combat heart disease and arthritis by being a nutty eater.

Read more from this great resource guide.

Get more veggies in your life with turkey meatballs!

If you say yes to any of these busy lifestyle points, you'll love the Turkey+Veggie Meatballs recipe below.
a) I don't eat enough veggies or I don't like many veggies
b) I'm bored of protein bars
c) I'm bored of trail mix or my bag of almonds
d) I want to eat healthier and find more lean protein options
e) I'm too tired to figure out something healthy to eat

BONUS:
You get a lean protein, veggie packed, gluten-free, nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory, low glycemic recipe below.
If you have questions what any of these terms mean, please email me!


*****Turkey+Veggie Meatballs*****
Modify the recipe to suit your tastebuds--everything is approximate since I'm an intuitive cook.

Ingredients:

Packet of ground turkey (easily found at Trader Joe's (kosher if possible))
1/2 pack of mushrooms (crimini or button) - diced small
2-3 cloves garlic (diced small)
1-2 cup chopped kale leaves only (no stem--small pieces) (or swiss chard, or beet leaves or stems)
1/2 c celery chopped small for extra crunch
Dry spices like thyme, parsley, paprika, spike herbs--whatever you like to put in, fresh herbs if handy
Fresh ground black pepper, be sparing with salt
Cayenne pepper if you like it hot
2-3 tablespoons parmesan cheese (optional for flavor)--this is salty
2-3 tbls corn starch or tapioca starch (holds the meat together with the veggies)
1 uncooked scrambled egg to mix in
1-2 dashes of white wine
1-2 dashes of Dr. Braggs Amino Acids if you have it

Mix in medium/large bowl in order of ingredient list
Shape meatballs btwn 2 tablespoons.
Prepare pan with preheated olive oil or grapeseed oil -- line bottom of pan with a layer
Gently place meatballs in pan (medium-heat)
Turn meatballs for browning
Cover with lid to ensure full cooking for 1 minute-- turn down heat to med low
Should be well-done by 5-7 minutes...test a meatball by cutting in half.

Yield 2-3 panfuls of meatballs.

Cool on counter before storage (preferrably use glassware, not plastic).
Add to a red or brown rice, or whole grain pasta dish. Pack some as a snack on the go.
Portion out into single portion freezer bags, if you know you need to have meatballs handy for busy wknite dinners.
BON APETIT!!!

Easy Strategies to Eat Well--Workshop This Thurs Apr 30 @ Blankspaces

Intro to Healthy Living

Get fired up with energy at our workshop on healthy living with Culinary Educator Amanda Cushman and Wellness Coach Jennifer Cheng. Learn easy techniques that you can implement into your every day for healthy living!

Thurs April 30
7:30pm-9pm
Hosted at BLANKSPACES in Miracle Mile
5405 Wilshire (Entrance on Cloverdale) ***
Games, shakes, and food provided. Networking and laughter encouraged.
For everyone from omnivores to vegans.

RSVP at
http://healthyliving-apr30.eventbrite.com