Monthly Archives: April 2010

April 27, 2010 · 8:13 am

Make it Fun

A group did this experiment at a metro stop in Stockholm to see if they could get more people to take the stairs over the escalator. They turned the stairs into piano keys. Think Tom Hanks in Big. Hidden cameras caught 66 percent more people taking the stairs that day. It proves their fun theory: the easiest way to change someone’s behavior is to make it fun.

And so it is with health. What’s the point in being healthy if it’s not making you happy, right? And can you even truly be healthy if you’re not happy? Aren’t healthy and happy one in the same? Healthy is not miserable. But we have it in our heads that healthy food should taste bad and exercise should be painful. I blame Snack Wells and low-fat Ranch. They told us that the not as good tasting version is “better for you.” We now know (or should know) that’s a bunch of bologna. I digress. My point is the healthier choice stands a chance of being chosen if it’s fun (or in the case of cookies and salad dressing, if it tastes good.) If something’s fun or different or just a little intriguing, then we just might do it. And if we enjoy it, then we just might do it again. And in the end we’re that much happier and healthier because of it.

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April 21, 2010 · 11:17 pm

The Real Reason Why the French are Skinny…

You’ve heard of the French paradox. How do the french eat so much cheese, dessert and wine and stay skinny? We Americans got obsessed with this for a while. Here we’ve been eating low-fat this and no-fat that, and we’re the fat kids? We don’t get it.  This article does though. It’s about school lunches in France. They’re just what you’d think – gourmet. proper. fussy. Not a single meal gets repeated over 32 days and four-year-olds are served a five course meal of an hors d’oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert. You could get used to this, right? The point is that at a young age French kids are taught to take food seriously. I love this…

“…it could be the red wine, as some believe. But another reason has to be this: in a country where con artists and adulterers are tolerated, the laws governing meals are sacrosanct and are drummed into children before they can even hold a knife.”

A few weeks ago on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution the school cafeteria in West Virginia didn’t even have knives. I’m not saying our problems would be solved if the kids in America ate hors d’oeuvres for lunch. That’s not it. It’s the values that are being served up with it. There’s something to eating at a table… in good company… and it being a full and balanced, nutritious meal. every. single. day. These kids aren’t eating fruit snacks out of a vending machine. They don’t even have vending machines. They were banned. So were Coke machines. Eating real food at a table is the only option.

I like this line too… “The French don’t need their First Lady to plant a vegetable garden at the Élysée Palace to encourage good eating habits. They already know the rules: sit down and take your time, because food is serious business.”

Or, you know, maybe it’s just the wine….

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April 19, 2010 · 9:45 pm

Brown Rice Pasta with Broccoli and Chickpeas

The other night I cooked pasta for the first time in I don’t even know how long. This used to be my specialty (OK, I’ll admit it was all I knew to cook). I remember making rigatoni noodles and marinara sauce about once a week in high school. These days though I try to keep a gluten free diet as best I can since being advised. If you’re in the same boat, you know this is hard to do. And if you’re not, then I’m sure you can imagine. When I first heard the words “gluten free,” my life of turkey sandwiches and rigatoni pasta flashed before my eyes. It sounded like a fate worse than death. Well so far I’ve survived. I’m not going to lie and tell you I’ve got this down and never slip up. I ate pizza this weekend. I’m far from perfect. But I will say that with practice it’s gotten much easier to avoid gluten and I’ve come to know a whole new gluten-free world that exists out there. You know the old adage “when you close a door, you open a window?” It’s so true here. Steering clear of typical breads and pastas has made me get to know new foods like quinoa and brown rice pasta. I love these foods now. I made this with brown rice spaghetti pasta. There isn’t much of a difference in taste other than it’s a bit chewier than wheat pasta. What I love about this recipe is that it has so much flavor cooked in that you don’t even need a sauce. The seasoning is the sauce.  Makes for a light and flavorful dish.

Pasta with Broccoli and Chickpeas

What you need:

6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large head broccoli, in florets
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
handful basil, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
brown rice (or whole wheat) pasta (4 servings)
1/2 lemon
red pepper flakes (optional)

What you do:

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add broccoli and salt. Cook 7-8 minutes until broccoli is tender and crisp. Add a little water to help cook and cover for a few minutes. Add chickpeas and cook 4-5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

Cook pasta according to instructions on the package. Add pasta and 1/4-1/2 cup water to the pan mixture and cook for 1 minute. Stir to combine. Add basil and stir. Add lemon juice and drizzle olive oil over pasta before serving. Add red pepper flakes, or serve without and let others add as they like.

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April 17, 2010 · 10:18 am

Cilantrophobes Unite!

I don’t consider myself a cilantrophobe, but I found this article interesting. I guess some find the taste buggy or soapy. Turns out haters aren’t making this stuff up. Cilantro’s smell is produced by aldehydes. You know what else creates aldehydes? Bugs and soap. The cilantro-averse make that association in their taste and smell memory bank and the distaste is out of a kind of self preservation. So there ya go…

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April 13, 2010 · 9:28 pm

megg salad joined facebook…

…because all the cool kids are doing it. You should become a fan.

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· 7:47 pm

10 Foods That Make Your Skin Glow

There are bookoos of products out there to exfoliate, slough, moisturize, lift, revitalize, invigorate … your skin. You could spend a mortgage plus lots of precious time in pursuit of perfection from a bottle. They’ve got one thing right – we do have a lot of control over the way skin looks and feels. But there’s a simpler fix than a chemical peel. Before you go spend a fortune on products, evaluate your grocery list. Good skin starts with diet. Skin cells are constantly dying, shedding and making new ones. The foods you eat provide the building materials for healthy skin cells. So each day is sort of like a fresh start for better looking skin. Give your body what it needs and it will return the favor. With these good for your skin foods you’re on your way to glowing…

1. Green tea – antioxidents in green tea eliminate cancer-causing free radicals, it reduces inflammation which makes skin look puffy and red, and reactivates dying cells

2. Salmon – essential fatty acids in salmon make up our cell membranes and keep them strong and functioning properly to keep out harmful substances, allow nutrients in and move waste out of our cells. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation

3. Blueberries – antioxidents and phytochemicals eliminate inflammation and free radicals

4. Carrots – vitamin A is required for building new, healthy skin cells

5. Avocado – good fat, with essential oils that soothe red skin

6. Almonds – vitamin E moisturizes skin and protects against premature aging

7. Mango – vitamin A repairs damaged skin cells and helps build new ones

8. Spinach (or anything else green and leafy) - vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals to oxygenate skin cells and improve circulation

9. Walnuts - Omega-3 fatty acids counter act inflammation to keep skin from looking red and puffy

10. Water – keep cells hydrated and move out toxins

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April 6, 2010 · 6:00 pm

Thai Curried Chickpeas With Coconut Rice

A few weeks ago I decided to do a little protein experiment. I was curious to see if I could live without meat. I have no intention of giving it up completely (no qualms here about eating anything with a face) but I just wanted to see how I felt without it, if I craved it, if I even missed it, and how it would feel to get my protein from plants. This all came about because class last weekend presented two opposing views on the subject. Sally Fallon Morell, first proved to us that people should be eating lots of high fat animal protein – including organ meats and broths made from bones – for optimal health. The next day Neal Barnard, an MD, proved the vegan diet is the way to go. It’s no wonder we don’t know what the heck to eat! Nutrition science is really unlike any other. It’s the only science where two bi-polar theories can both be proven right. This stuff just wouldn’t fly at NASA. But in the kitchen, it’s kosher. How can that be so? Because there is no control in nutrition. No two people are exactly alike. And different people thrive on different types of food. So Sally Fallon’s advice to eat half a stick of butter on your oatmeal might suit one, and Neal Barnard’s new four food groups (grains, beans, fruits, veg) might be just what another needs. I realize this doesn’t exactly tell you what to eat. But the message behind this presentation of conflicting views is that we have to experiment, try things out and see what makes us feel our absolute best. You can learn so much about how food affects you by just changing things up. I’ve scoured the Web and collected some vegetarian and vegan dishes to try. I gave this one a whirl the other night. It was quick to make and tasted delicious! I loved the coconut rice. I know, I know, it’s white rice. Oh well. A girl can only take on so much at once. And the soft coconut rice was the perfect compliment to the tinge of spice. I’ll definitely be making this again… whether I turn out to be a carnivore or not.

Coconut Rice

What you need:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup long grain white rice
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup water
salt
What you do:

Heat coconut oil in medium sauce pan. Add rice and stir until grains turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and water. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. When it’s done, fluff rice with fork.

Thai Curried Chickpeas

What you need:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
1 medium tomato, diced
juice from half a lime
1 tbsp natural sweetener like honey or agave nectar
cilantro, chopped

What you do:

Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and 1 tbsp curry paste. Stir until paste is dissolved into mixture. Add chickpeas, tamari, sweetener, lime juice and tomatoes. You can add water if the mixture becomes dry. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1-2 minutes. Add coconut milk and warm (not boil) another minute or two. Stir in 1 tbsp curry paste evenly throughout. Add cilantro.

Serve over the rice.

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April 2, 2010 · 11:10 am

Attitude of Gratitude

I had the opportunity this weekend to hear couples therapist Harville Hendrix speak. Hendrix and his wife created the Imago Relationship Therapy and he’s written several books including “Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples,” he’s been on Oprah … you get the idea: he’s an expert. Appropriate timing for me to hear what he has to say, don’t you think.

Harville’s main message was simple, but a good one: Look at life as grace versus as a threat. And be grateful.

Life is what you make it and your attitude can completely change a situation, a relationship and your health. If we go out there thinking everything we come into contact with is out to get us, that negative attitude is toxic for us. “Negativity is as toxic as chemical fertilizer,” he says.

The secret is to shift our attitude from negative (jerk cut me off … he took the last bite … ugh, it’s raining … i can’t win) to one of gratitude (it could have been worse … i have someone to share with … we need the rain … there’s always next time).

It being Easter and all, this seems like an appropriate weekend to practice looking at life as grace. So let’s put negativity aside. I think I can do this at least until Monday. ;)

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