Misconception # 1 about Holistic Nutrition

Tonight I began reflecting on my journey into holistic health and how it really has optimized my quality of life. I feel vibrant most of the time, positive most of the time, and well, balanced. I'm in control of serious illnesses that used to control me and put simply "I feel good."

As I was reflecting, I began praying that more people would give themselves this gift of a holistic lifestyle centered around a healthy diet. And then it occurred to me - I could probably positively influence people by telling people what holistic nutrition isn't as opposed to what it is!

So here is my dissection of Misconception # 1:

If I'm going to take on a holistic health lifestyle, I have to adapt a bland, boring, macrobiotic or vegetarian induced insane diet.

This is absolutely incorrect. Yes, I advice my clients to introduce some macrobiotic and vegetarian type foods into their diet like more fish, whole grains, and vegetables, but BELIEVE me, I'm realistic and an epicurean at that, so I know how crucial it is for food to be enjoyable. And serioulsy, I know so many junk food vegetarians - this goes to show that vegetarianism does not equal healthy!

Understand that your body is like a car and needs the best fuel in order to run properly. A holistic diet is about making small changes to improve your nutritional intake. And these changes can be flavorful and tasty! Incorporate more greens into your diet, and season them with spices, be adventurous and try spices you haven't used before. More and more studies are showing how spices have key nutrients that can keep us healthy and prevent serious illnesses like cancer and cardiovascular disease. Honor your body. Meat is okay, just make sure it's lean and top quality. I do promote organic meats as they are not treated with chemicals that can harm our body. And guess what? They taste better too!

When you start viewing your body as a temple and when you start feeling healthy from consuming healthy foods, your worldview will change. It really will. You'll see that a holistic diet is about balance. And part of this balance is between taste and healthfulness.

And you know what else is involved in this balance - knowing that chocolate mouse is FINE! A pint of Guinness is fantastic. And for me, a good ol' platter of fish-n-chips is A-OK. Once you've adopted a healthy diet, you can eat these "unhealthy" foods once and a while and savor them knowing that they can't harm you because you have the armor of a healthy diet and lifestyle protecting you!

BACK TO THE ASHRAM

Are you curious about my blog title? What I'm referring to is not an actual ashram, but my home environment. I was away visiting my family in central New York for the past few days and now I'm back home and back to the grind (I hate that phrase, but it's true in a sense, I have A LOT of clients to catch up with, calls to return from organizations who would like to book me to speak at various functions, and many writing/editing deadlines to complete).

But the most important factor is that I feel RELAXED and FOCUSED. Some may say that it was my time away that rejuvenated me, but no, that's not it. My home soothes me. I'm burning Nag Champa incense. Brent made me a tasty omlette with fresh farmer's market tomatoes, asparagus, potatoes, basil, and olives. I'm eating the omlette over greens that I picked up when I was visiting my family. Finger Lakes lettuces are incomparable--I swear they're tastier than lettuces I've had in France, Italy, and Switzerland!

I'm drinking a big glass of water with sliced lemon. I'm playing ultra cheesy lifestyle music (thanks to satellite radio, which I'll thank even more when I change the channel---ahhh, even nicer, Celtic harp music). My shutters are open and a nice breeze is soothing me yet not blowing my papers all over the place. The flourishing house plants make me smile, and I'll feel even happier when we welcome a new doggie into our home.

How is your home environment? My clients sometimes look at me funny when I ask them such questions. "Aren't you supposed to be my nutritionist?" they may think. But I address nutrition holistically, which goes way beyond the food you eat. Healthy food is critical and is a BIG PART of achieving balance. Trust me, I wouldn't feel so relaxed and simultaneously focused right now if I were slurping down a diet coke and chomping on a cheeseburger!!! But beyond food, you want to feed yourself things that uplift you! A healthy home environment is KEY! How do you feel in your home? People are a part of your home too - make sure you nurture those relationships. If you are in a shaky roommate situation - get out! If you are living with a "former" significant other b/c you can't afford rent on your own, trust me, you'll feel a million times better if you get out and prioritze your health and sanity. Make your home your ashram; it feels amazing!

Can I offer you a drink?

When I have company over these days, I am delighted to offer them a drink because I get to share with them my latest experiment: Iced Pomegranate Green tea with sliced lime. It's so refreshing and so excellent for you. Green tea is filled with disease fighting antioxidants as are pomegranates. And the limes add such a refreshing tang (think of the way that limes make your Corona actually taste good).

Here's how to make it. Bring a large teapot almost to a boil (green tea tastes better when the water isn't too hot. With piping-hot water, you will actually "overcook" the green tea, making it taste bitter). Pour water in a 2-quart pitcher. Add 4 tea bags. Let brew for an hour. Slice two limes. Toss limes and a tray of ice cubes in pitcher. Refrigerate for an hour and voila, it's ready to enjoy!

My First TRI in YEARS!!!

This past weekend I had the GREAT pleasure of competing in the Mini-Musselman Triathlon. This is a pretty big deal for me. I casually competed in tris years ago, and got the itch to do them again a couple of years ago. And obstacles kept creeping in the way of my ability to compete. An illness here, an injury there. You know how it goes. This year I was determined to recover from yet another injury (a herniated disc and torn hamstring) and I was GOING TO COMPETE in a triathlon.

I registered for the Mini Mussel in April; at that point I was still unable to run after my injury, which happened in December! In June, I began running again (on trails), and July 4, I ran a 4-mile race just to see if running was possible - and I didn't do all that bad - 32:40. My legs were killing for four days though b/c it was my first time running on pavement since the winter. I rolled them out on a foam roller and felt good to go when we left for Geneva, NY on July 10.

I had a wonderful fueling meal the night before the race (I BROUGHT MY RICE COOKER WITH ME). I had steamed asparagus on brown rice with rotisserie chicken (sans the skin). I also had a big salad with mixed baby greens, cucumbers, olives, and avocado.

In the morning, bright and early, I had some hearty granola with rice milk. And at 9:04 AM, I was OFF in Seneca Lake. I took the swim slow (500 yards in the water and about 100 yards into the transition area in just over 11 minutes). The bike was hard, but I passed quite a few people on the climbs, which made me feel strong. I did the 15.7 miles in 56 minutes. And the run was difficult - I haven't even done a brick workout this year so I totally forgot that jello-leg feeling. My 5K was 28:00. But I did it and placed pretty decently in my age group! Next year, I'm aiming for a total time of 1 hour 35 minutes, now that I know what to expect. There will be one or more tris this year. I'm just so psyched to be healthy and competing again!

I think everyone should TRY A TRI (even if it's just once). It's so much fun!

Book Review: Eat, Pray, Love

As you are probably learning about me, I read A LOT. Isn't this a requirement for writers? And I don't particularly favor one genre over another, or one print form over another. I read magazines, the New York Times, academic journals, biographies, novels, and yes some chick lit. A woman needs to read some fluffy stuff every now and then!

You probably also realize that I'm not one to run out and get the latest NYT bestseller. I have far too many books on my "To Read" list to afford that luxury!

My latest read is Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love. Gilbert documents her incredible journey from depression and despair to self love and communion with God. Now, some of you may automatically think "chick-lit" but I assure you that it is not. The fact that this is a true story alone gives the book so much merit.

Gilbert's prose is witty, intelligent, and honest. Her journey starts on a bathroom floor crying in despair over her crumbling marriage, and moves through a divorce, an intense love affair, and onto the discovery that she needs a year to herself. And this is where the book comes in. She travels to Italy to delve into the joy of food, to an ashram in India to learn how to pray, and to Indonesia to learn from a medicine man, only to find the love of her life.

It's Gilbert's honesty that makes the book such a worthwhile read. Regardless of your religious beliefs or lack thereof, Gilbert's desire to connect to her God, and to live the life her God wants her to live is so powerfully revealed in her writing. My two favorite quotes in this book are:

"When you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times, you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let it go until it drags you face first out of the dirt--this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty (and your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life no matter how slight."

"I want God to play in my bloodstream the way sunlight amuses itself on water."

This summer, I encourage you to read Eat, Pray, Love. I especially recommend this book for anyone who has recently experienced a painful divorce, or any form of despair. In addition to several nutrition articles from peer-reviewed journals, as well as Eating Well articles and my weekly New York magazine, I'm now reading Michael Cunningham's The Hours. Even though this book is fiction and has nothing to do with healthy living or nutrition, I may just have to write a review because the writing is brilliant.

Asparagus is in season!!!

The last time I was in New York City, I had to pick up some asparagus at the Union Square Green Market and I'm so glad that I did. All I did was simply steam it and it made the tastiest compliment to my grilled cajun catfish dinner.

I found some great asparagus recipes here. I intend to try them VERY soon. I encourage you to do the same!

Asparagus with Lemon olive oil and Parmesan

Asparagus Frittata with red bell peppers

Asparagus Bruschetta

Asparagus Casserole
(I'd lower the fat content in this by using 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup wheat germ instead of 1/2 cup Parmesan )

Okay, I'll stop spewing off recipes now. I'm starting to remind myself of Forrest Gump:

"There's, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp . . . "

Seriously, asparagus is a great great compliment to your spring and summer meals! I recently wrote an article about it. If you want to know more, keep reading:

Asparagus - Your Luxury Veggie

Asparagus is such a versatile vegetable—it’s tasty raw and steamed, it’s delicious in risottos and quiches, and it’s even a popular side at the most esteemed steakhouses in the world! In fact, asparagus has always been considered a luxury vegetable. It was highly prized in ancient Rome, Egypt, and Greece. In Europe, its status thrived under the reign of Louis XIV, who encouraged its production. Here are just some of the reasons why you should welcome this luxury vegetable into your diet:

- Asparagus is rich in iron, boasting about 15 percent of the daily-recommended value.

- Do you know that vegetarian forms of iron are much more absorbable when combined with foods rich in vitamin C? With asparagus, you have no need to worry about finding a food rich in vitamin C in order to absorb the iron because one cup of asparagus has more then 30 percent of the daily-recommended value of vitamin C.

- A rich source of folate (almost 70 percent of your daily recommended value), asparagus is EXCELLENT for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding as folate is essential for the production of new cells.

- Asparagus contains more than 100 percent of the daily recommended value of Vitamin K. Vitamin K is great for the blood and your bones!

- Asparagus has a natural diuretic effect. This means that it can be effective in treating problems involving inflammation like arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, and PMS-related water retention. Inflammation is also involved in heart disease and cancer – so asparagus can help in prevention!

- Containing health-promoting “friendly” bacteria, asparagus is great for your intestines!

Though asparagus is grown throughout the spring here in Pennsylvania (and throughout most of the USA), it’s peaking these next couple of weeks! Stop by the Easton Farmer’s Market and pick up a bunch. There’s no better time than now to invite asparagus into your home. Buying it local is the way to go—it will stay fresher longer. To make it last close to a week, store it in your fridge, wrapped in a damp paper towel. If you’re feeling especially brave, try white asparagus (milder flavor than green asparagus) or purple asparagus (which has a fruity taste).

(Note: The photo of asparagus was taken by Maria Quiroga)

I’ve found the ideal whey protein. . . now let’s just hope it tastes good!

As many of you know, not only am I a holistic nutritionist, but also, I’m a holistic sports nutritionist. Now, let me tell you, this can be one challenging profession!

Why? Well, first of all, I primarily work with endurance athletes: runners, cyclists, triathletes. I’ve been a competitive runner for 20 years myself. Endurance athletes need a lot of calories! They also need a way to get protein and nutrients into their body quickly after working out (within 45 minutes ideally)! As a proponent of wholesome nourishing foods, it’s difficult for me to endorse many sports nutrition products as they are extremely processed, which in the long run, I hate to say, will result in setbacks for these athletes.

However, I’m also a realist. I understand that it isn’t always possible to prepare a healthy meal after an intense endurance workout. There are only so many hours in a day. I do not promote soy protein (that’s another blog in and off itself – a lot of research has been conducted on the harmful effects of soy. In smalll quantities and especially if it is fermented (miso, tempeh, etc.), it can be a healthy add-on to any diet, but not in bulk quantities). Whey protein is an easy way to get in some healthy protein after a workout and will help your muscles to recover. Because of the naturally occurring branched chain amino acids in whey, you will also find that it will prevent you from becoming burnt out from your workouts.

A lot of whey protein mixes can be incredibly processed. Some harmful ingredients include malodextrin, yeast, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, or sweeteners like Acesulfame Potassium. You want to make sure that the whey is organic or at least from cows that have not been given the rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone). Also avoid “texturized” whey protein (as it likely has MSG in it).

I believe that athletes shouldn’t have to spend a fortune to pursue their passion and goals (We already know how expensive equipment can be). So, when I research the ideal products for clients, I also bear in mind the cost. Happily, the Wegman’s generic whey protein meets my high standards. However, the ultimate winner of the best whey protein for me is the California Academy of Health’s Whey protein. They have research to back up their all-natural ingredient list. And the way that they process their whey provides for an extensive amount of amino acids that will support a healthy immune system and ultimate muscle recovery. Additionally, their whey actually has fiber (unlike Wegmans). I presume this is because the CAOH’s whey protein has more L-Glutamine, which is probably the most needed ingredient for great intestinal health. To order this product, or to read more about it, click here.