photo by Terri Tu

Not to brag, but I’ve never broken a bone. Never. Not even a toe. And I’d like to say that it’s because I drank gallons of milk as a growing child, but honestly, milk was never my thing. Carrots, however were. And even though most people don’t think of carrots as bone-strengtheners, it’s time to break out of the milk carton and realize that there are other nutrients that keep your bones strong.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids help keep your bones strong. A carotenoid is a pigment found in fruits and vegetables with vibrant yellow, orange and red color. Carotenoids like lycopene and beta carotene act as antioxidants which ward off dangerous Read the rest of this entry »

photo by Lara Ferroni

Cherries are about as all-American as apple pie. Minus the fat and laborious effort to prepare a good crust. And because I’m flat out sick of the exotic berry craze stealing attention from other great super-foods, I’m about to toot some cherry horn.

Like other berries, cherries contain plentiful antioxidants, but that’s just the tip of the iceburg. Researchers at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular center found that cherry-rich diets reduce both cholesterol and inflammation. Also in the study, animals fed cherry-enhanced diets had 14% lower body fat than the other animals.

But my favorite thing about cherries (besides the sweet deliciousness that they are in your mouth) is the sleep-aiding effect they offer. Cherries are one of just a few food sources of an antioxidant called melatonin. Melatonin is usually Read the rest of this entry »

photo by Sarah Severson

I always thought it was funny that it is called Wonder bread. I mean, really, maybe when it first came out, the idea of slices was pretty wonderful. But nutritionally speaking, the way it breaks down in your body, you might as well be eating sugar. Carbohydrates are fuel for our brains. We need them huge. But the kind of carbohydrates we eat are as important as eating them in the first place. If Read the rest of this entry »

photo by SRSLYLOLZ

What a exercise/>loser! As in the exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight of course. One of the most tried and true exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight loss tools is keeping a food log of everything you eat. And in the age of convenience, iPhone users have an indispensable tool that makes it super easy for you to drop those last 5 pounds (or 15, or 20) and get on the fast track to living a healthier life.

In the burgeoning world of iPhone apps, there is one particular exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight loss tool that, in a word, rocks. Lose It, is an efficient, expansive, and free (we are in a recession people!) app that tracks all the food you eat, the nutrients you take in, and the calories you burn exercising. There are hundreds and hundreds of foods to choose from and you control the portion size calculated (your hips don’t lie about those 2 brownies you ate last night, you Read the rest of this entry »

photo by ComeUndone

Don’t shy away if the thought of curry sends you scurrying. (Sorry, there are just too many great rhyming words to pass them all up. I’ll try to stop). Sure, cooking with tumeric (the spice used to make curry) may leave an unpleasant Read the rest of this entry »

photo by Wedding Wire: wedding cakes & flowers

For those of you who haven’t heard, I have to share with you the biggest news of my life up to this point… On October 10th, 2009 I will be marrying my best friend in the whole world! We are so excited and busily planning the big day.

And part of the planning involves dress shopping…which I was doing last night. Bridezilla happened to be trying on dresses in the fitting room adjacent to mine. It’s no secret that many brides try to exercise/>lose exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight to look their best for their wedding day, but apparently bridezilla has a lot of exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight to exercise/>lose. She’s planning on losing 30lbs by August, and she plans to do it by not eating anything all day but a granola bar and yelling at the fitting room attendant to burn calories. Really?!

While this poor girl didn’t know that she was giving nutritionista in the room next to her good material to write about, a lot of people identify with her. Starving yourself to exercise/>lose a bunch of exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight really quickly sounds morbidly unpleasant but somewhat successful in theory, only it actually is the worst possible way to exercise/>lose exercise/>lose-weight-exercise/>weight. You see, when you don’t eat, your metabolism turns to mush and Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Travis K.

Isn’t it funny how people are afraid of fat? If I didn’t know better, I’d think that people assume that if you eat fat, you become fat. Actually, I do know better, and I still think that. I could go on a bazillion of my famous tangents to explain the importance of healthy dietary fats, but really, when it all comes down to it, we just simply need to clear something up: FAT IS GOOD.

But don’t listen to me. Listen to the pros. A study done at UC Irvine shows that foods rich in unsaturated fats like avocados, nuts and olive oil actually curb hunger and help you feel satisfied before you’ve over-stuffed yourself. Why? Because the Read the rest of this entry »

photo by reya.

Rosemary is my favorite herb. of. all. time. It is so savory, flavorful, and always a perfect addition to chicken or foccacia. Plus it makes a nice name for an old lady.

Herbs really make or break a dish. You can’t make good guacamole with no cilantro. Or curry with no tumeric. Rosemary isn’t really like that, but I like those examples. Rosemary is just good by itself. Which is why I love it. Plus, the health benefits are fantastic. It is super duper high (for similar herbs in its class) in Read the rest of this entry »

photo by Walt Stoneburner

I started grad school this week. Yikes. Talk about stress. But when it’s over (a mere 18 short months!) I plan on being the best darn health communicator out there. Go me! In the meanwhile, I’m sure there will be some stressful days…like today, and the syllabus shock I’m feeling.

But you all probably have plenty of stressful days too- probably even more stressful than Read the rest of this entry »

photo by Simple Moth

I’ve recently read a bunch of recipes that call for Agave nectar as well as an article by the Nutrition Business Journal that said agave nectar’s sales have skyrocketed in the past year or so. I’m gonna be honest here…i had no clue what it really was until recently. For a long time I just thought it was some sort of special organic juice concentrate, like mango nectar or something. See, I don’t know everything after all. Almost everything though.

Agave Nectar is similar-ish in Read the rest of this entry »