Three simple rules for healthy eating habits

The gym is packed again after a quiet December. My yoga class has grown from about five to 20, and we're all trying to wedge our mats in the room like a game of Tetris. Trader Joe's was ransacked New Year's Day and the whole store needed to be restocked. Everyone is trying to get a healthy start on the year.

A couple years ago, I stopped dieting completely. I stopped counting and adding up nutrients for careful analysis and just started eating food. This crazy notion came after reading Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto," a book in which he explains what the majority of us are eating each day is not food but "edible food-like substances." That is, foods that are no longer a product of nature but a product of science. Pollan has several books on the topic, but this one is by far my favorite for its combination of fascinating research as well as practical and easy-to-follow tips all encompassed in the simple mantra, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

1. Eat food. It seems simple, until you realize that actual food takes up just a sliver of shelf space at the supermarket. Most of the aisles are filled with packaged, processed edible food-like substances. Food is anything that comes from nature, or as Pollan puts it, anything your great grandmother would recognize as food. Your great grandmother would recognize a banana or plain yogurt as food, but not a Poptart or squeezable yogurt in a tube. It comes down to eating food you can pronounce and recognize.

Eating food is actually very hard to get accustomed to when you become stunned at the realization that just about everything you have been eating is not food. It takes time to make the adjustment. But by gradually making new choices each day, you can eventually get to the point where you are only eating food.

Here are some tips for the next time you are grocery shopping: The main ingredients that you should be avoiding are high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil, both highly processed and engineered food-like substances that come from genetically modified seed. It's very important that you read only the ingredient labels on the packaging and not the marketing promises, "more fiber," "all-natural," "made with whole grains," "30% less sugar," -- these claims are just ploys to make you feel like you are eating healthier. Conversely, these marketing promises usually indicate additional processing has taken place so that the food can make these health claims. To get a better understanding of what is or is not "food," I highly recommend the documentary Food, Inc. (which features commentary from Pollan). Check out this trailer.

As you get started making the switch from edible food-like substances to actual food, my blog posts for how to make your own granola bars and bake your own bread offer surprisingly simple recipes that constitute natural, food-only ingredients.

After reading Pollan's book and watching this flick, you'll be set on a new path to eating healthy, enjoying the richer flavors of the high-quality food and feel satisfied and pure by the energy it gives you. And if you get hooked on changing your lifestyle and living by this "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." mantra, consider staying current by reading the awesome blog at Fooducate.

2. Not too much. Okay, we got the complicated "Eat Food" part out of the way. The rest is easy. "Not too much" is surprisingly very simple when you start eating real food. After some time, your pallete will adjust and you will find your body is satisfied by the natural nutrients your body is receiving from whole foods. While the chemicals in processed foods are engineered to trigger our appetites and make us eat more (therefore more profit in the pockets of food processors), natural foods are more satiating and satisfying. For example, if you want a chocolate chip cookie, go for it. Just eat a homemade one and not a Chips Ahoy. Maybe you'll find one or two cookies will satisfy you, rather than a whole box.

A lot of people get stuck on trying to follow the first rule of "Eat Food" because real food is expensive. This is very true. You will spend more on 100 calories of fresh vegetables than you could on 1,000 calories of fast food. But the cost difference will not seem so severe when you realize you can live by eating much smaller meals of more expensive, healthier and tastier food. For ideas on how to incorporate the added expense of healthy, organic food into your grocery budget, I've got a post for that, too!

3. Mostly plants. Full disclosure here, I am a vegetarian and have been for about 16 years. While it's a great choice for me, eating or avoiding meat is a personal decision, and I do not believe it is my place to tell anyone to totally give up meat, poultry or seafood. However, no one ever got fat by eating vegetables! When you design your meals, start to think about what vegetables you want to eat first and build your meal around that.

Most people do the opposite. They think of the meat as their main course and plan what side dishes should go with it. Pollan suggests you consider the vegetables as your main dish and the meat as your side dish. Keep your meat portions small, and maybe even try to incorporate a vegetarian meal into your week. I love cooking vegetarian meals, like eggplant parmesan, for my friends who eat meat and showing them how delicious and filling a vegetarian meal can be. You just have to keep an open mind and be creative.

By following Pollan's mantra, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants," you don't really have to give up any foods you love, you just have to be smarter about how you purchase, prepare and consume them. And there are many other revelations in his books that will inspire you to take this further by eating organic and local. In turn, you'll feel amazingly energized as you experience instantly improved health.

I hope more people will experience and enjoy this simple mantra to eating healthy. If you give it a shot, feel free to contact me or leave me a comment for tips and encouragement, and keep reading the Greater Good Life blog for helpful posts.

Eating healthy and organic on the go

I just got back from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend road trip out to the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. Nothing like beautiful waterfalls and long hikes to remind me how thankful I am for nature's beauty and my health.

The road trip takes about 7.5 hours from where I live in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, so we had to get creative when eating on the road. I'm vegetarian and I don't eat any processed food (anything with a list of unpronouncable ingredients). MMcDonalds, Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell -- not going to cut it.

Thankfully there are alternatives. After one last hike, we started on our drive home snacking on an organic veggie tray with organic dip, which we purchased at the supermarket in town. We also snacked on organic bread and cheese as well as incredible-tasting local pink lady apples we grabbed at a farmer's stand.

That held us over until we got a few hours down the road. Then we were faced with the typical fast food restaurants at every exit. We probably would have just opted for a locally owned restaurant that would take up more time, but I used my iPhone to see if there happened to be any Evos locations near us. Evos is a healthy and organic fast food chain with a handful of locations. Sure enough, there was an Evos in Chapel Hill, right where we were passing on the interstate (the only one in North Carolina). Bingo! A good, fast, healthy meal on the go!

What's so great about Evos? They offer healthy vegetarian options, burgers and wraps with natural, humane, anti-biotic- and hormone-free beef and chicken, air baked fries (with 70 percent less fat) and delicious organic milkshakes. They do their best to offer sustainable packaging and making socially responsible selections, such as Fair Trade green tea. They still serve regular fountain sodas with high-fructose corn syrup, but they are a far cry from typical fast food. As such, the price is a little higher, we paid $17 for the two combo meals.

I opted for their garden veggie burger, which had a delicious avocado sauce with lettuce, tomato and ranch. My friend had their humane, organic steak burger. We enjoyed the crispy fries, experimenting with garlic and cayenne flavored katsups. Lastly, we washed it all down with an organic vanilla milk shake. Mmmmm amazing. You leave Evos feeling good, not sluggish from grease.

Because Evos offers healthy, natural, organic and vegetarian-friendly fast food, I get to enjoy fast food combo meals for the first time in over 15 years.

Check out the Evos locations to see if there is one near you or where you are traveling. I first tried Evos in Tampa when I was on vacation. We had to drive a little out of our way to find it, but it was totally worth it. Evos currently has locations in California, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.

If you are lucky enough to find an Evos, you are in for a real treat. If there's no healthy and organic fast food near you, look for a locally-owned restaurant or diner and take a longer pause in your day. Another option is to find a Whole Foods for made-to-order sandwiches, salads and hot food to go. It's hard to stay focused on healthy eating when there is fast food lurking around every corner. But more healthy options are popping up all the time.

A question for Snap, Crackle and Pop

Flickr photo by erjkprunczyk

Can I believe my eyes? It seems high-fructose corn syrup has disappeared from the ingredient list on the new boxes of Rice Krispies! Not only is this going to add to my breakfast options, it’s a game changer for my homemade granola bars.

Here are the ingredients listed on my newly purchased Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal box: Rice, sugar, salt, malt flavoring, iron, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), alpha tocopherol acetate (vitamin E), naicinamide, vitamin A palmitate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin B1), folic acid, vitamin b12, vitamin D.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom told me about this. But I asked her to check her ingredient list again because every box I encountered at the grocery stores near me still listed high-fructose corn syrup on the ingredient label. She assured me her box did not have it. So I kept looking and eventually, I saw it with my very own eyes.  I hope this isn’t a ruse and that it really is true. I can’t find any news or blog posts about it, and there is no mention of “new” or “improved” on the box. Hopefully, my favorite food blog, Fooducate, will do some investigating (I sent them an e-mail).

I’d still be cautious here, check the label before buying since the HFCS versions are still out there. Also, the sweeter varieties of Rice Krispies probably still have additives you’d want to stay away from. Still it’s nice to see these changes happening over time at the grocery store.

As for me, tonight I’m planning to make a batch of granola bars with that extra little crispy crunch they’ve been missing. Other than that, I'll aim to stick to whole foods for breakfast-- a glass of milk, a slice of homemade bread, fruit, greek yogurt and other items that do not require me to scrutinize the label before eating. That's always the safest bet. Still, a bowl of HFCS-free Rice Krispies now and then offers a nice visit back to childhood.

Turn up the heat: how to make jalapeno hot sauce

Jalapenos fresh from the garden.

My habanero plants didn't amount to much this year. But thankfully, a friend brought over about 70 jalapeno peppers to share from his garden. We made cream cheese stuffed jalapeno poppers with some, but these peppers were hot! So, I decided to experiment with making homemade hot sauce. Turns out, it's simple to make and packs a more flavorful kick when it's made fresh. Here's a recipe to try it out for yourself.

Jalapeno hot sauce

Prep time: 15 minutes  Cook time: 20 minutes

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

20-25 jalapeno peppers

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cilatro 

1 tsp course sea salt

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup jalapeno broth (instructions to make broth below)

Remove seeds and stems from jalapenos and chop each jalapeno into about four slices. (You can leave in some seeds as you are chopping the jalapenos. Just remember, the more seeds you leave in, the hotter the sauce will be.) Note: Wear gloves while you chop jalapenos to prevent your fingertips from burning. Also, wash your hands immediately after cutting hot peppers and avoid touching your eyes and mouth afterward.

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and jalapenos together in vegetable oil for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.

Saute the jalapenos and onion in a skillet with vegetable oil.

After sauteing for 5 minutes, add the vegetables to the boiling water and allow to boil for about 20 minutes (this will make a jalapeno broth).

Make a jalapeno broth by boiling the jalapenos and onion for 20 minutes.

Reserve at least 1/2 cup of the jalapeno broth, then strain the vegetables. Set aside the vegetables to cool for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, toss in the garlic, sugar, salt and cilantro. Add the vegetables and puree. Slowly add in 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1/2 cup of the reserved jalapeno broth to the puree while blending.

Pour into a jar (a reused salsa jar works great!) and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. If you have more than you think you can use in 3 months, make two small jars and share it with a friend. Or freeze a jar or container for use later.

Homemade jalapeno hot sauce is so fresh and delicious. I store mine in a reused glass salsa jar.

Enjoy this recipe and how it will spice up and flavor your food. Let me know if you try it out yourself.

It's easy to be good, even in Sin City

Hello from Las Vegas! I've spent the last four days here for Blogworld, and I'll be coming home with lots of tips to make this blog and my consulting business even better. I'm also coming home with some great experiences and shopping finds, which proves you can be good in Sin City! And if you can be good here, you can be good anywhere. 

First things first, shopping! Remembering less is best when it comes to our consumption habits, but it's still okay to make smart purchases on items you need or can truly appreciate. This starts by avoiding tacky tourist shops and wasting money on items that end up as clutter you will toss out later. It ends with fabulous finds on items you can really appreciate and will use for a long while: Fashion and Chocolate!

Good Fashion

A must-have on my shopping list was a new pair of jeans. This was partly because I needed to spruce up my fall wardrobe and partly because the one pair of jeans I packed for the trip formed a hole, right in the butt, while I was on the plane. I bought those jeans just a couple months ago at the Gap Factory outlet (one of the only places in my town to shop) and lesson learned, cheap clothes don't last. You have to invest in quality. 

I found the perfect jeans in terms of style and fit at the Billabong store at the Miracle Mile Shops in the Planet Hollywood Hotel. They are by Element, and are slim fit boot cut (we've progressed out of the 80's and into the 90's finally). For $70, not only do they look great and fit like a glove, they are made with 99 percent organic cotton (1 percent spandex). Double score!

Billabong is quickly becoming my favorite brand. With boardshorts and tees made from recycled plastic bottles and expanding options for organic cotton, what's not to love?

Good Chocolate

I've been checking out this 8-part original series from the Sundance channel called Eco Trip: The Real Cost of Living, which I stream from Netflix. Each episode explores the environmental impact of common, everyday products. One episode was about chocolate, which started with the harvesting of organic cocoa from the rainforest in the Dominican Republic and ended in a gourmet chocolate factory, Vosges in Chicago. What do you know, there's a Vosges store in Las Vegas at the Forum Shops in Caesar's Palace! Oh yeah, I got to try this organic chocolate first-hand, and it's incredible! Like nothing I've ever had before and worth every penny of it's luxury price tag. I'm taking a couple of bars home to my friend, who's been watching my dogs for me. Now, isn't that a much better gift than a tacky Las Vegas shirt?

A Good Meal

I shopped til I dropped, so the next night I decided to take it easy. My shopping and conference pal, Holly Hoffman, and I enjoyed a fine dining experience our last night in Vegas at Wolgang Puck's Spago. This top-notch restaurant offered incredible fare with the finest, organic and fresh seasonal ingredients. I opted for late-harvest heirloom tomato soup with goat ricotta cheese crostini and the duo of farmer's market melon and fig salad, with wild arugula and burrata cheese. Every bite was delightful. And of course, I saved room for dessert: chocolate PBJ! This was a chocolate cake layered with peanut butter ganache and topped with concord grape sorbet and peanut butter whipped cream. I especially appreciated the garnished sprinkling of "peanut dust."

 

So yes, it is possible to be good in Sin City. In fact, stay tuned, because next I'll show you how being a lush in Las Vegas can make you feel heavenly in this sinful town!