Cleanse after the holiday feasting

I've had a number of food-loving friends say they know they will be feasting during the holidays and want to learn more about a cleanse. So I'm doing a guided 7-day cleanse in January for anyone who wants to start the new year "fresh." Yes, lots of fresh fruits and veggies and learn how to eat more fiber during the cleanse. No starvation or calorie counting--just learning to eat more clean and wholesome food. Register now so you can join in on our bonus class and coaching by going to the Embody Health website.

Farmers Market Deals

Some of you might assume that farmers markets are more expensive than shopping at the grocery store. I say, take a moment to enjoy some fresh air, and try it out! If you want apples, they should be organic (conventional apples have one of the top loads of pesticide -- see my write-up about the "dirty dozen"). And if you look at organic prices at your neighborhood grocery store, and compare it to the Farmer's Market, guess what? There will be some stand that will offer it for $2.00 or less a pound compared to the more expensive and less fresh versions at your grocery store. Here's a link to your local Los Angeles Farmers Markets. Even if you don't buy much, you'll feel healthier having taken the walk at your local market.

Side note: I went all over New York City looking for my organic apples at the Farmers Markets to make my "famous" apple cider, apple, vegetarian stuffing. Californians, you will be proud to know that our farmers markets are bigger than ones elsewhere and it's easier to eat local and organic here!

Top 5 Things Needed for Healthy Weight

These are the top 5 things you need for healthy weight management and surviving the stress of the holidays. Almost everyone I know gets at least a little moody as December approaches and the New Year brings self-reflection to new heights.

1) SLEEP -- Getting regular and good amounts of sleep is important for the body to repair, unwind, and regulate its hormones and other functions. If you're having trouble sleeping, you should check out my blog post on getting better sleep. If these strategies aren't enough because you're too wired, consider supplementing with L-tryptophan, a natural amino acid in combination with other vitamins to encourage your body to sleep well.

2) STRESS MANAGEMENT -- Do you meditate? Do you practice deep breathing or belly breaths? Are you going through tough times like a divorce or death of a loved one? Perhaps you need to get help from a support group, a coach, or therapist, in addition to scheduling some down-time to take care of you, rather than the usual workaholic schedule? A yoga class with meditation component, or a meditation class, or a web-based meditation video or self-study course can help you! Other ideas: Call a reliable supportive old-time friend. Play with a friend's dog or kid and exercise being "fully present."

3) NUTRITION -- Are you eating nutrient-dense low-glycemic meals and snacks? If you don't know what that means, do a keyword search on this blog and you'll find some good recipes. If you're overweight, and possibly insulin-resistant, that occasional donut might do you more harm than you think.

4) EXERCISE -- Cardio exercise is important but NOT enough for weight loss. You need to include flexibility training to protect your joints and allow for stress relief. But most importantly, STRENGTH TRAINING builds muscle so that you can BOOST YOUR METABOLISM. If you contact us with your request, we'll send you links to some FREE mini-videos of sample exercises you can incorporate into your routine.

5) SUPPLEMENTATION -- It is nearly impossible to eat all the nutrition we need for our high-functioning, demanding modern life. Minimally, you need a good multivitamin that you absorb, omega-3 for mental function and heart health, calcium+magnesium+D supplement. If you have been overweight for a while, have had any heart risks/episodes, or family history of heart issues, diabetes, cancer or other diseases, you will want a more focused individualized approach to address your wellness concerns.

If you want to find out more about healthy science-based weight management, you can read more about the Transitions Lifestyle System and contact us for individual or group holistic health coaching.

New Spin on Spanish Tortilla

Here's a new spin on a Spanish Tortilla -- otherwise known as a flourless quiche!
Great for breakfast, on-the-go snack, or party hors d'oeuvre.

I brought my healthy vegetarian, low-glycemic creation to a foodie event last night, and one of my friends says "are you sure there's no meat in here?" I say that's a great compliment! It's the heartiness of the sweet potatoes and the muskiness of the wine-soaked mushrooms that made it feel so filling that my foodie friend had to ask that question.

What you need:
8" skillet with 2-3 tall height, and a lid
separate sautee pan for prepping the veggies
30-45 minutes for a dish that can last 8-12 servings

Please note, my recipes are approximate and depend on what I have around the house. To make it easy on yourself, you can substitute herbs based on what you have available or what you like! (Thyme vs rosemary, still very tasty.)

Click here for full recipe.

Want to keep your teeth for a long time?

I remember as a kid, I saw grandpa needing to use his fake teeth and sometimes he just didn't bother and tried to eat with just his gums.

Well, I have a health goal to keep my teeth and gums healthy as long as possible because I love food and can't imagine trying to eat with just my gums. Which means, I ought to floss to keep my teeth healthy but I hate having bleeding gums.

What most regular dentists may be not understand about my unusual case of bleeding gums is that I don't fit the normal profile for unhealthy gums. I have a very healthy exercise and low-glycemic nutrition profile, yet somehow my gums are sensitive and seen as "pre-peridontal disease."

What I learned from a holistic dentist is that some of us need an extra boost (because of genetic predispositions etc) with the help of a supplement like CoQ10. I did some research of my own and ever since I've been taking CoQ10, flossing is not so much of a bloody experience. Plus, this antioxidant is needed to help fight inflammation in all of your body, especially good for your heart health too!

If you need help learning more about your dental health, this holistic dentist has a great website to help you pick the right toothbrush, and he offers wellness seminars in Long Beach, CA.

Staying Cool with Healthy Nutrient Dense Foods

What's your personality when's it's hot?

When the temperature causes you to sweat while sitting still, some of us have very little motivation to chop your vegetables and turn on the stove to get a good home-cooked meal. So before you forget to eat well, use your blender and you can open a bag of mixed baby greens to start a salad. That's right, you can put together a great protein fruit smoothie (frozen berries blended with protein/fiber powder) to go with a healthy green salad with nuts and other favorite toppings! And you can do all this without chopping if you don't want to (think cherry tomatoes if you don't want to chop).

If you're at a loss for recipes, check out the latest from Eating Well magazine for yummy food that is good for your skin! What's your favorite summer recipe?

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.