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How to Beat 5 Embarrassing Ailments With Your Diet
Tweet Share on Facebook November 15, 2012 CommentSurrounded by cellphones, search engines, and apps at our fingertips, we expect to get everything we seek with lightening speed. But it's not just information we want quickly—we also expect weight-loss diets to take effect immediately, and we want our workouts to make us look like body builders as soon as we join the gym.
You may never have to pick up a telephone book or encyclopedia again; but when it comes to losing and maintaining your weight, you'll need to put in some time. On the other hand, there are some digestive problems that can be controlled in a relatively short period of time just by manipulating some foods in your diet. Although these tips may not "cure" your digestive conditions, this quick reference guide may help keep some of the following ailments from disrupting your daily routines.
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Why You Should Invite Charles Darwin Over for Dinner
Tweet Share on Facebook November 14, 2012 CommentEvolution. We all know the gist of how that works. It's survival of the fittest, where the weak and the weary don't live long enough to pass on their genes to the next generation, leaving only the strongest and healthiest to populate the future. It's a powerful force of nature—and it belongs in your kitchen.
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Why Grown-Ups Should Play Outside
Tweet Share on Facebook November 14, 2012 CommentAfter Superstorm Sandy hit New York, my gym, the Park Slope Armory YMCA, became a shelter for over 600 people (it's closed until further notice). I was happy that so many folks were getting help, but I was getting cabin fever. I didn't want to gain the so-called "Sandy Five" and was itching to get back to my kettle bell and spin classes. Although I love running outside, achy knees keep my mileage to about 10 a week.
Feeling a bit desperate, I reached out to one of the gym instructors, Joanna Paterson. I knew she had a personal training business as well and led an outdoor boot camp in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. After making sure that Joanna and her daughter had weathered the storm, I asked, "Got any classes this week?" Happily, Joanna had actually increased her offerings due to the Armory situation, and when I showed up for my first Bodiesynergy class, I saw that I was not the only gal who had been jonesing for a workout.
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Happy Thanksgiving! Hold the Gluten, Nuts, Dairy, Etc.
Tweet Share on Facebook November 13, 2012 CommentHosting Thanksgiving dinner these days is not for the faint of heart. As the guest list grows, so too does the list of dietary restrictions.
There have always been your vegetarian cousin and your uncle with diabetes. But this year, your sister with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is bringing her gluten-intolerant boyfriend, and your nephew with the nut allergy will be joining you. Mom called to remind you that your dad's cholesterol is through the roof, so please go easy on the saturated fat when cooking this year. Oh, and did she mention she's just been diagnosed with lactose-intolerance?
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Whack Weeds in Your Garden—and Your Life
Tweet Share on Facebook November 12, 2012 CommentMention weeds and, let me tell you, it's a sure way to clear a room. No one wants them. No one wants to hear about them. And no one really wants to deal with them—although I have met a rare soul or two who finds weeding relaxing. If you meet people like this, do everything you can to keep them as volunteers for your corporate or community garden!
Stick with me a bit, and I promise I'll not only give you some easy, earth-friendly ways to eliminate unwanted weeds (I say unwanted, because some weeds are just a balsamic dressing away from being a side dish), but I'll also show you how to reduce the weeds, metaphorically-speaking, in your life.
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Big Stores, Big Bellies?
Tweet Share on Facebook November 12, 2012 CommentDue to their convenience and often cheaper prices, big-box stores, warehouse clubs, and standard supermarket chains have become popular alternatives to specialty chains like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, and small, local markets. Many of the grocery goliaths even offer natural, fresh, and organic options for the health-conscious shopper.
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Eating for Two? What a Healthy Pregnancy Diet Looks Like
Tweet Share on Facebook November 9, 2012 CommentWith the emotional roller coaster that pregnancy brings, it can be daunting for pregnant women to take on the additional pressure of eating the "perfect" pregnancy diet. The good news: There is no single perfect diet for pregnancy. The best way for expectant mothers to meet their nutritional needs is to focus on consuming an overall healthy diet, with a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats or meat substitutes, and low-fat dairy or dairy substitutes.
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Exercise: of Math and Myth
Tweet Share on Facebook November 8, 2012 CommentOf course exercise burns body fat.
If you are like most of us, you once knew this was true, intuitively, and perhaps from first-hand experience. But that was before you knew it was false, because you were talked out of believing the obvious.
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Mango or Papaya? Spinach or Kale? Food Face-Offs
Tweet Share on Facebook November 8, 2012 CommentOnce again, I've decided to compare foods that I'm constantly hearing people talk about. Consider my thoughts below and decide for yourself if you should run (or walk) to the store to buy some soon.
Papaya vs. Mango
Many people get these two confused. Nutritionally they are similar, but flavor-wise they're quite different. One cup of papaya has 55 calories and 2.5 grams of fiber, while 1 cup of mango has 99 calories and 2.6 grams of fiber. According to registered dietitian Tara Gidus, a nutrition consultant in Orlando, Fla., "Mangos are a premier source of vitamins C and A, and contain antioxidant nutrients with lots of health benefits." Papaya is also a good source of vitamins C and A, as well as other nutrients. As for taste, mango has been described as a mixture of sweet and sour, blending the flavors of peach, pineapple, and apricot. Papaya has a sweet, musky flavor, similar to that of ginger and apricots.
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Is Diabetes Your Destiny?
Tweet Share on Facebook November 8, 2012 CommentMy father, my mother's mother, and my brother were all affected by diabetes. Genetically, for me, that's like waiting to be summoned for jury duty; you know you may eventually be called, but you don't quite know when it will be your turn.
