Below enjoy articles written by the NYC Nutritionista on topics concerning health living that have been written for various blogs.
- Get More Pep In Your Step - Increase Your Energy
- The Lighter Side of Things - Weigh Less, Live More
- Aligning with the Seasons - Moving into Fall
- Survive and Thrive the Holiday Season
Get More Pep In Your Step – Increase
Your Energy
I used to struggle to find the endurance to make it through
the day without crashing by the mid-afternoon and looking for external energy
boosters. Before I discovered how to increase and then maintain my energy levels
I was a bit of a pain to be around actually. When my energy was low I felt
tired and tended towards mild headaches and lethargy, accompanied by sudden
uncontrollable bursts of grumpiness and snapping at others. Everything seemed
to annoy me and I was quick to act in unnecessarily negative and impulsive
ways. I didn’t feel able or motivated to exercise, cook, socialize or
efficiently get things done, in fact, everything took longer than necessary. I
would crave time sitting on the couch in front of the TV eating cupcakes or
drinking wine. These energy lulls would lead to bad food choices and time spent
doing things that further drained my energy instead of boosting it.
That was all before I unlocked the appropriate diet and
lifestyle practices necessary to keep myself happy, energized and productive
all day long. Nourishment for the mind and body does not just come from the
food we consume. It is also derived from the lifestyle choices we make on a
daily basis. Everything we do or eat is a choice between increasing,
maintaining or draining our energy.
Take a few moments now to assess and jot down some thoughts
about your current relationship with energy. Do you sometimes struggle with not having enough energy? How do you
feel when your energy is low? What challenges do you face when you lack your
essential level of liveliness? What types of things do you do and eat when you
feel this way? Do you think the choices you make are the best ones? How could
your life be improved if energy were never an issue?
We often fall into behavior patterns that are not the
healthiest but we struggle to break free from them and find a better way, even
when we know we are not making the optimal choices. The first step is
indentifying your triggers and the second is finding ways to deal preventively
with them instead of reacting to them suddenly in the moment.
The following are
my top five tips for increasing your energy:
1. Reduce or eliminate caffeine – it can cause ups and downs
in mood, energy and blood sugar, in addition to dehydration. The need for
caffeinated beverages to get you through the day or wake you up in the morning
is a sign of inadequate rest or dietary nutrients.
2. Drink more water – dehydration can cause headaches,
hunger and sluggishness. Only water is water - other beverages we consume can
further dehydrate us, especially those containing sugar, sodium or caffeine.
3. Increase amount and quality of rest – when you are tired
or stressed your body will crave energy. Keep to a regular schedule, waking up
and going to bed at the same time and getting a sufficient number of hours of
sleep (8 hours or more). Set the atmosphere for restful, quality sleep. Be sure
you bedroom is neat, uncluttered, calming and comfortable.
4. Increase physical activity – at first it may seem hard to
believe but over time you will learn that regular exercise will boost your
energy rather than making you more tired, it will also offer the added benefit
of better quality sleep. Start out slowly with 30 minutes of walking, Tai Chi
or Yoga each day and increase the pace and time allotted for exercise over
time.
5. Improve your diet – increase the amount of healthy fresh
foods you eat and thus begin to crowd out the processed, chemicalized and junk
foods you consume. Some great foods to try for increased energy are: vegetables
(especially dark leafy greens), goji berries, coconut water, almonds, cashews,
fresh and raw fruits, steel cut oats and whole grains.
Written August 2009
The Lighter Side of Things –
Weigh Less, Live More
I am going to admit an important detail about the start of my
journey to getting fit, that until recently I would never tell anyone, not even
my closest friends and family. In the summer of 2005 I weighed over 40 pounds
more than I do now. I was unhappy and heavier than I had ever been in my life.
Considering my petite 5”1’ frame, 40 pounds is a lot of weight and it was literally
making me lethargic and miserable. A second and even more important detail that
I have had no problem readily admitting to anyone, is that I have never ever
been on a “diet” in my life. I did not get myself into shape by “dieting” and
deprivation (two things that seem to go hand in hand), I did it by truly taking
care of myself – body, mind and soul.
When the light bulb went off in my head that things needed
to change for me, I started to seek out approachable healthy adjustments to
make in my life. The first thing I did was to banish weeknight takeout and
relegate eating out to a social event shared with friends a couple of times a
week, rather than a twice-daily solitary occurrence. Next, after deeply
assessing what I was eating and why, I increased the amount of fresh fruits,
vegetables and whole grains I ate at every meal and decreased the more
indulgent foods to occasional treats (needless to say, this involved getting
reacquainted with the kitchen storage unit otherwise known as the oven).
Lastly, I got off the couch, cancelled my underutilized gym membership and got more
serious about ways to keep active that I actually enjoyed. Everyday, I must
admit even twice a day sometimes, I went to the Yoga or Pilates studio for a
class. Getting my body, way of eating and life into amazing shape was a very
personal journey for me with many bumps and lessons learned along the way. Now it
has been several years and I still feel as though I am in the best shape of my
life and I am much happier and healthier than I have ever been. The bad news is
that I don’t have a specific roadmap to share that will cause the same shift
for everyone. The good news is that this is because there is no one right answer that will work for
everyone, what works for each individual is very personal.
Right now there is an obesity epidemic going on in the
United States and the scariest part of all is that it is impacting children in
ever-increasing numbers at younger ages every day. In our great diligence as a
country to find the quickest, easiest and most convenient thing we have lost
sight of the importance of good, simple and real food. Processed and junk foods
are so readily available that it is easier to be tempted into bad behaviors
than good ones. Things in our country are so accessible and convenient that we
often become lazy and complacent in our lives. When we identify that we have a
weight problem we look to the quick-fix solution in the fad diet of the moment.
In most cases diets just don’t work – they are too difficult, plain and simple.
Many diets do not consider a key element in cultivating your most fit self,
which is bio-individuality. We are all unique human organisms with different ancestral,
environmental, lifestyle and physical attributes to consider. What works for
one person does not necessarily work for then next.
Take a few moments now to assess and jot down some thoughts
about your current relationship with your weight. When did weight your first become a problem for you? What are the
things you have done in the past to loose weight? Why were they successful or
unsuccessful? What is the real root cause of your struggle to be happy with
your body? (This is often the toughest one and can even go as far back as
childhood) Are you doing the best you possibly can to take care of yourself? If
not, what could you change today to improve your health?
We often fall into behavior patterns that are not the
healthiest but we struggle to break free from them and find a better way, even
when we know we are not making the optimal choices. The first step is
indentifying your triggers and the second is finding ways to deal preventively
with them instead of reacting to them suddenly in the moment.
The following are
my top five tips for finding a lighter and happier you:
1. Banish that four-letter word – no one relishes the
thought of being on a diet because they are just no fun. Diets are often very
limiting, depressing, alienating and unsustainable. Find healthier ways to eat
that you enjoy and can easily incorporate into your lifestyle for the long
haul. Get out of the deprivation mindset and into the mindset of taking care of
your mind and body as best you can, it will give you a whole new outlook on
life.
2. Add foods in – rather than bringing the focus to all of
the things you think you should be eliminating, bring it to all of the healthy
things you should be incorporating into your diet. Introduce new fruits,
vegetables and whole grains as well as new ways to prepare them on a daily
basis. You will be adding in so many new delicious and healthful foods that the
bad stuff just may get crowded out.
3. Get support – find a friend or family member that has an
interest in getting or staying fit and help each other towards achieving that
goal. It is always easier to accomplish difficult things with support. Find
your support system to help you through the rough spots and to celebrate with
you at all of the wonderful accomplishments. If you cannot find someone you
know to support you or if you would like the guidance of an experienced professional
seek out a Health Counselor to work with you on your health and lifestyle
goals.
4. Get moving – when given the option walk, use the stairs,
get out a subway stop early or take the long way home. Find little ways to add
walking and exercise into your everyday life. Additionally, seek out a regular
form of exercise that you actually enjoy. It does not have to be going to the
gym or playing sports, it may be dancing, Yoga, Pilates, swimming, biking,
hiking, running around with your kids or gardening. Don’t be afraid to
experiment with several options until you find what best suits you.
5. Get real – eat real, nutrient and vitamin-rich, whole
foods in their natural state. Avoid foods labeled as “diet” as they are often
highly processed and unsatisfying copies of the real thing. Instead
occasionally have small amounts of the real thing and truly savor and enjoy the
experience. Try to do most of your food shopping at the famer’s market or in
the produce section and fresh foods section of your local supermarket, thus
limiting the amount of processed foods you consume. When you do purchase
packaged foods, be a food detective. Read the ingredients and make sure the
list is short and that you can identify each of components listed.
Written September 2009
Aligning with the Season –
Moving into Fall
Last night was the first time I heard the familiar yet nearly
forgotten hiss and grumble of the heat in my apartment, as it was the first
night cool enough for it to be turned on this season. It squashed my hopes of
an Indian Summer (ok, my fingers are still crossed since my neighbor told me
true Indian Summer is when it warms up after the first frost of the year, this
is an unconfirmed fact but it does give me hope) and assured me that Fall has in
fact arrived here in NYC. Anyone who lives in the Northeast knows the familiar
controversy October often brings up. There are those like me that are sad to
let go of the heat of summer and refuse to banish the sandals and tank tops to
the back of the closet, and there are those that cannot wait to get out their
boots and sweaters out at the first sign of a temperature drop (I suppose it
also helps if you are into football). Regardless of which side of the issue you
stand on, I think we all can agree that Fall is truly one of the most glorious
times in the Northeast with the plentiful harvests, spectacular foliage, crisp
air and various seasonal traditions to eagerly look forward to.
For anyone
who lives in a temperate climate like the Northeast, the transition between the
warmer and cooler months is a key time to alter your nutrition and lifestyle
practices to align yourself with the seasons. Shifts in weather or temperature
are often the most common times of the year that we get sick because we are not
adequately prepared. When we are aligned with the changes in nature around us,
we are more easefully able to maintain our optimal health and sense of harmony
with our environment. Summer can be a time of excessiveness and heat, just walk
the streets of NYC and you will notice there are more people out and about than
you ever even imagined lived here. The excitement to get out of the house and
do things often leads to unrestrained behavior in areas such as diet and rest,
we can get out of a set fitness routine quite easily and we are traveling more
(we all know that all self-control goes out the window while on vacation, it
doesn’t count right?). Fall is a great time to quiet down, undo any setbacks experienced
in the summer, to go inward, to replenish ourselves mind and body and to create
a clearing inside and out after the craze of summer. In the cooler months we
tend to favor more indoor and quiet activities and that is just what nature
intended!
The following are my top five tips for shifting yourself
into the fall season:
1. Get to the root of things – instead of looking for the
imported tropical fruits and the out of season vegetables at the supermarket,
look for what is local and in season in your area. As the weather cools our
diet should be comprised of heavier foods, more protein and more fiber than in
the warmer months. Enjoy root vegetables like beets and sweet potatoes, the
many varieties of squash such as spaghetti and butternut, apples and whole
grains. Eating seasonally and locally aligns our bodies with our current
climate, making us less susceptible to illness, it supports your local farmers
and reduces the damage to the environment caused by transporting food from so
far away. Tropical fruits, such as pineapples, grow in tropical regions because
it is hot there and they are cooling to the body, which is needed in that
climate. Squash and root vegetables grow in the Fall in temperate climates
because they are warming to the body and give us the essential nutrients we
need to keep us healthy for the season.
2. Heat things up – decrease the amount of raw foods you eat
and increase the amount of cooked foods. It can be hard to get excited for a
nice warm bowl of steel cut oats in the blistering heat of August but it does
hit the spot on a crisp October morning. Switch up your cooking to incorporate
more warming preparations for your meals. Fall is a great time to introduce
warm breakfast porridges, soups, stews, baked vegetables and slow cooked meals
straight from the oven. Get out your teapot and enjoy a nice warm cup of your
favorite tea while you curl up on the couch with a good book or a favorite
movie. Use warmth to relax and nurture yourself – light candles, take a warm
bath, burn essential oils, use a hot water bottle or snuggle up with a loved
one in bed.
3. Get moving – renew your fitness regime, try something new
or get back to an old forgotten favorite. It is very easy to talk yourself into
staying on the couch when the weather is cool but make sure you keep moving
through all seasons. Pick the form of exercise which suites how you are feeling
in this transitional time and be sure to notice how that may vary from day to
day. If you are feeling cold and sluggish, try something energizing and warming
like a dance or spin class. If you are feeling anxious and scattered, try
something calming and centering like Yoga or Tai Chi. It is important to keep
your exercise routine varied, interesting and customized to your personal
fitness goals and abilities.
4. Hit the books – take a class and learn something new. As
September sets in I always get that hankering to dust off my backpack and go to
school. Maybe I am mentally programmed from going to school every September
until my early twenties, but there is no denying that fall is great time to get
back to learning. As adults this can take on so many interesting forms – learn
a language, hone your sewing skills, learn a new craft, join a book club, take
a continuing education class at your local university or college or embark on a
more in depth stuff of a passion of yours such as yoga, meditation, dancing or
cooking. It can also be a great way to bond with friends and stay out there and
in the mix with other people, fighting off the cold weather blues or feelings
of isolation that winter can bring.
5. Fall cleaning – who said that springtime is the season
for cleaning? Use the change in seasons to reorganize yourself – clean out the
closets, pantry and refrigerator, rearrange the bookshelves, furniture or
office and prepare your home for the weather and events coming in the fall and
winter. Take on new indoor projects such as home repairs, repainting,
organizing photographs or redecorating. I love to switch up simple things like
bedding, table linens and towels each season so keep the colors and patterns
around me that match the time of the year.
Written October 2009
Survive and Thrive The Holiday Season
If you are at all like me, right about now you are
catastrophizing (yes, it is a word) a bit thinking to yourself - “How can I stay on track this Holiday Season
when temptation is lurking around every corner?” It started with the all of
the candy at Halloween, sugar highs and lows hit hard. Then comes November and
the temperature drops, the cool weather makes you sluggish and glum and we are
led straight into the eating overeating frenzy of Thanksgiving. Next is the
entire month of December – you are invited to several holiday dinners or
parties each week with family and friends, you have visitors come into town or
you are traveling, then there are the holiday celebratory feasts such as
Christmas and Hanukah. Finally, when you think you cannot take it anymore there
is New Year’s – so many high expectations that are rarely ever met and then
there is the compulsion to drown them in booze.
So how can you make this year different you ask? First of
all, take a deep breath, then take another. Second, check out my top ten tips
below to learn you can stay on track and be healthy through out this holiday
season:
1.
Water – most people don’t get enough of it, especially now in the colder and
dryer months we need more hydration than we think. Steam heat has kicked in NYC
in full force and it can be painfully drying for our bodies, both inside and
out. Humidifiers can be another
great way to stay hydrated for those with cold weather respiratory issues such
as asthma or chronic sinus infections.
2.
Plan your social schedule and your weekly menus – don’t fly blind in stressful times. Use a
calendar, PDA or computer program to plot out your social gatherings for the
season. Only choose to attend the events that are most important to you. Don’t
be afraid to say no sometimes, little white lies can be ok (for example, “I am
so sorry I cannot come to your cookie baking marathon, I really wanted to do
but I promised my mother I would go home early to help her prepare our holiday
dinner, she just can’t do it alone anymore.”). Make sure you leave room on your
calendar for alone time, home cooked meals and all of the things that you enjoy
and that nourish you. Pick a set day each week that is your planning day. Use
it to grocery shop, plan your meals for the week, cook, chop, prep food and get
yourself organized with healthy food options for the week.
3.
Don’t drink your calories – limit consumption of alcoholic and other high
calorie beverages (like eggnog and hot cocoa). When in doubt, stick to water or
hot tea. Don’t feel compelled to drink at every social event. A favorite social
trick of mind is sparkling water with a slice of lime. I tell people it is a
gin and tonic if they ask and I am usually the only one still smiling by the
next morning.
4.
Don’t eat your emotions – don’t let the stress of the season get you off
track. Identify your triggers and find non-food ways to deal with them. Don’t
eat mindlessly. Whenever you are about to indulge in your problem food (common
ones are cheese, bread, cookies, cake, alcohol, etc.) as yourself “Do I really
want this? Am I eating because I feel sad, stressed, lonely, overwhelmed or
angry?” Practice being mindful.
5.
Eat breakfast – it is still the most important meal of the day,
so don’t skip it. Start the day off on the right foot by kick starting your
metabolism and managing hunger.
6.
Don’t “bank” calories – a classic holiday mistake many of us make is to
eat very little all day to “save up” for a big meal or event. This is a
surefire way to overindulge and mess up your metabolism. Don’t skip meals or
under eat now to let yourself over eat later. Having consistent meals and
snacks daily will keep metabolism on track and avoid the temptation to binge
later.
7.
Party smart – start with the healthiest foods first. Load up on crudités and other
naturally healthy fruit, veggie and whole grain dishes first. Afterwards if you
are still hungry indulge in a select few of the more decadent items that catch
your eye. The key here is moderation and knowing what you are eating. For every
drink you have be sure to have a glass of water. When asked to bring a dish,
volunteer for the veggie side, salad or other option where you can show your
delicious yet nutritious cooking chops. Remember – dessert can be fruit, hummus
can come with cucumber slices and portion control can go a long way.
8.
Set yourself up for success – create a positive environment so all you can
possibly do is succeed in your health and wellness goals. Don’t keep unhealthy
problem foods in your home. Instead be sure you are always stocked up on the
nutritious essentials. When going out to eat with friends, quickly offer a
healthy and delicious place you enjoy. Spend time with friends and family
members that are supportive and helpful to your goals. Limit interactions with
emotionally draining people or those that are a bad influence on you. Find a
healthy holiday buddy – support each other through the season, especially when
you are feeling overly tempted.
9.
Manage stress – this is a very easy season to really let it get
to you. Year-end at work, difficult family members, colder weather, societal
expectations for holiday glory (i.e. if I don’t meet Prince Charming to kiss
when the ball drops then the entire year of 2010 will surely be a nightmare)
and the constant over-stimulation (like too many holiday songs, decorations and
lights) can get the best of any of us. Recognize stress early and find ways to
manage it – warm baths, lighting candles, yoga, meditation, reading a book,
watching a movie, knitting, running or anything else that helps you stay cool,
calm and collected.
10.
Get moving – don’t wait until New Year’s when every gym and Yoga studio is
overcrowded with those repenting per their resolutions and trying to get in
shape, instead start now. Go to the gym, take a class in dance, Yoga or Pilates
– whatever works for you and don’t be afraid to experiment. Get into the
fitness grove now while classes are less packed due to the Holiday Season drop
off in attendance. Once the winter descends upon us the excuses abound, we walk
less and sit on the couch more. Break that pattern now before it begins. Make a
plan and stick to it.
Written November 2009