Chew on This

Recently I realized that for three consecutive days, I was chugging copious amounts of water to force bite-sized chunks of food down my throat and these episodes of near choking were followed by serious digestive distress. Perhaps it’s time, I thought, to focus on chewing. A simple, everyday action that I thought I mastered before the age of 2, but it seems I was taking chewing for granted. I reminded myself that the whole process of breaking down food and converting it into energy starts in the mouth. Chewing is important. For the last seven days, I have taken my mastication seriously and have noticed a bunch of things worth sharing. One, it takes a long time to really chew your food. It took me just under 30 minutes to eat a dinner-size salad with roast chicken and beets. That’s a lot of chewing, which is good since it slows down the eating process. Occasionally, I would become bored with chewing and stop eating as soon as I felt sated, a great way to not overindulge. This process helps with dieting. Secondly, my digestion really improved. Gone was the random cramping and bloated feeling. I challenge you all to focus on your eating. Take a refresher course on chewing when you read more. I do not suggest counting your chews, since this could interfere with your ability to participate in dinner conversation, but to break down your food with your teeth until it is easily swallowed. Don’t put another bite in your mouth until you have chewed the one currently in your mouth - a great habit to prevent mindless overeating. It’s easier to completely chew your food if you take smaller bites, so stop shoveling mouthfuls in. If you need to use water to wash your bite down, chances are high you didn’t completely chew your food. So sip in between bites, not during. Put your fork down in between bites. This simple action helps you slow down and truly focus on the food that is in your mouth.

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Chew on This

Pilates Images For Everyday Moves

I am a firm believer that Pilates makes everything better . And when I say firm, I also mean that literally. Pilates is a body/mind method of fitness, or as the very Germanic founder Joe Pilates believed, mind over body . I have found mental images help clients understand the details of basic moves. Here are three images that I have found helpful both inside and outside the Pilates studio. String bikini abs : To feel your low abdominals engage, mentally draw a line from the top of your right pelvis (the ASIS ) to the top of the left. This imaginary line will be about two to three inches below your belly button. Pull that line, your string bikini bottoms, gently toward your spine. This is a great image to help feel your low abs engage while running, walking, or riding. Balloon head : A tense neck can lead to headaches and upper back problems. If you find your neck tense from holding up your heavy head, imagine that your neck is a string attached to helium balloon. The string can can move easily and the skull is light and floating. This is a great image to relieve neck tension when stuck in traffic. Soapy shoulder blades: This image comes straight from body/mind guru Eric Franklin and is great for keeping tense shoulders relaxed. Images your shoulder blades are bars of soap that slip easily up and down your back as you shrug your shoulders. If your shoulders are super tense, raise your shoulders to your ears on an inhale and let them drop on the exhale while imagining the soapy shoulder blades sudsing up your back.

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Pilates Images For Everyday Moves

Kirstie Alley Tackles Her Big Life

Though it’s not overtly a weight-loss reality show like The Biggest Loser or Celebrity Fit Club , Kirstie Alley’s new reality series will explore some weighty issues. Premiering March 21 on A&E, Kirstie Alley’s Big Life looks like a lot of fun, chronicling Alley’s career but also her struggles with weight loss. As Alley explains in the promo above: “I was thin my whole life, ’til I gained 75 pounds, then I lost 75 pounds, then I gained 75 pounds.” She rejects the descriptor “full-figured,” admitting that she’s just “fat.” But she’s still determined to lose the weight again: “We’re gonna see me lose weight in the show, because I think that, you know, we always see people the ‘before’ and the ‘after.’ And we don’t really know what happens in between. And the in between is really the meat and potatoes, no pun intended.” I find Alley’s honesty refreshing and I hope she can figure out a way to lose the weight once and for all. Do you think you’ll be tuning in?

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Kirstie Alley Tackles Her Big Life

Healthy Eating When Cooking for One

sxc.hu: trinamole Most of us have faced cooking for one at some time or another. Problem is, when you work long hours, you may be in no mood to come home and whip up a storm in the kitchen–for one person. But, you probably want to eat well and feel healthy too. It’s a bit of a catch-22! If you live in the city, there’s also the problem of space, or lack of it, which may hamper things a little. Continue reading…

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Healthy Eating When Cooking for One

First Lady Michelle Obama Joins the Fight Against Obesity

EatTheView Like many second-in-commands before her (let’s be honest, the First Wife is REALLY the next in power), current First Lady Michelle Obama has championed causes close to her heart. Most hyped was her “first garden,” the Whitehouse’s organic backyard garden, and her work encouraging Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables. And now, Michelle wants to help put an end to the United States’ growing obesity problem. Continue reading…

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First Lady Michelle Obama Joins the Fight Against Obesity

Thanksgiving Confessional: Share It and Move On

Whether you let yourself overindulge or try to keep things in check , it’s impossible not to think about food during Thanksgiving . Perhaps you only splurged on the dish that is totally worth the calories to you , or maybe you ate one more piece of pie than you said you would. The important thing is not to let it get you down. So join me in the Thanksgiving confessional! Leave a comment to shed your guilt about your biggest Thanksgiving indulgence, and together we’ll resolve to get back on track now that the feast is over.

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Thanksgiving Confessional: Share It and Move On

Healthy Ways to Deal With Thanksgiving Leftovers

Thanksgiving never seems to be a one-day affair, at least not the food part. Properly stored, leftovers can last up to four days , beckoning you to eat more, more, and then some! This Thanksgiving, resist the urge to overindulge by finding healthier alternatives for your T-day leftovers. Here are a few of our ideas - share your own in the comments section below. Get rid of them . Buy some inexpensive containers before your meal to pack up leftovers for guests and send friends and family home with the most decadent dishes. Make a healthy salad . Turkey is packed full of protein and tastes great on a salad . Use leftover cranberry sauce to make a healthy dressing - mix a dab with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Make a turkey curry . Turkey is great in a curry because it easily soaks up the flavors of a sauce. Try using turkey instead of the tofu in our Indian-Spiced Chard recipe. For more healthy leftover ideas, read more. Make turkey stock . I always like to have broth or stock on hand because it adds a ton of flavor to my cooking and can be the base of a variety of dishes. Storebought broth usually has a ton of added salt, so I think it’s best to make your own. Save the carcass of the bird and break it up into a large stock pot, then add mirepoix , garlic, and savory herbs. Cover the entire mixture by at least two inches of water and let simmer for five hours. If the water level falls below the ingredients, add more liquid to the mix. Cool quickly, store in the refrigerator, or freeze. Use turkey stock to make a delicious soup . Cut up any extra veggies you have leftover from your T-day meal or ingredients, add some barley or brown rice, throw it in your stock, and you’ve got a simple, tasty soup. Puree leftover vegetables . Healthy vegetable side dishes are great to have after Thanksgiving, but give them new life and puree them. A veggie puree can be the base of a soup or pasta sauce. Veggie purees can also add moisture to baked goods. Make an open-faced sandwich . Everybody loves the day after Thanksgiving sandwich. Make your sandwich healthier by only using one slice of bread.

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Healthy Ways to Deal With Thanksgiving Leftovers

Lessons From the White House Chef

Part of Michelle Obama’s master plan to reform eating habits in this country includes the directive of a young chef named Sam Kass . Kass has been the Obamas’ personal chef for several years now, and when the Obamas packed up and moved to the White House, he did too. Kass, 29, plays more than cook at his current post: he is the first White House chef to have an actual desk in the East Wing and works alongside the rest of Ms. Obama’s policy team with the title of “food initiative coordinator,” meaning he’s given the daunting task of getting the entire country to eat better. To hear how Kass is trying to making the country healthier, read more. How does one man do that in a country where the golden arches rule? In the latest editions of People and the Chicago Sun Times , Kass shares that moving past the obstacles won’t be easy but “it’s an unbelievable opportunity” that he couldn’t turn his back on. In the last year, the chef has gotten closer to his goal by helping plant a garden on the White House lawn and educating children about the benefits of healthy eating. He’s also discussing legislation with the Agriculture Department that would reform school lunch on a national level. When it comes to feeding the first family, Kass and White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford serve up classic fare like burgers and tacos, but make healthy food swaps and use lean beef and low-sugar ketchup instead. As for dessert, it’s a special treat served only on the weekends, and that order comes directly from Michelle herself. Inspired by the Slow Food movement, Kass looks to the White House garden to inspire his menu, pushing forth the idea of eating local and by season. Right now, he’s got his eyes on a bevy of sweet potato dishes and fresh salads, which should come in handy for the Obamas’ first state dinner later this month.

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Lessons From the White House Chef

Padma Cooks at Home to Stay Fit

Thanks to a full season of Top Chef ’s indulgent cuisine, the reality hostess admits she’s likely to go up a couple dress sizes during filming. Still, Padma Lakshmi doesn’t let the extra pounds take a toll on her healthy fitness perspective, and shares with Glamour how a positive attitude and a realistic take on eating help her shed the weight. For one, Padma reveals that when Top Chef contestants aren’t whipping up something decadent for her to taste, she’s likely to be cooking something healthy at home. Padma knows that cooking in her own kitchen can be a healthy way to control her caloric intake, and while takeout can seem a more convenient alternative, Padma reminds us that, “it can actually take longer to order delivery or go pick up takeout than it does to cook.” In addition, the foodie loves the physicality of cooking, noting that “[instead] of watching TV, waiting for your food to come, you’re actually moving [when you cook]. My aunt had the best arms in the world, and she never stepped inside a gym.” Check out Glamour to get the rest of Padma’s realistic weight loss and healthy eating tips.

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Padma Cooks at Home to Stay Fit

Can You Scale the Food Pyramid?

The old food pyramid you remember from grade school got an upgrade in 2005, but the basic sentiment remains the same. The government guidelines advise eaters to choose a variety of foods from the different food groups in order to eat a balanced diet. How much do you know about the food pyramid? Take my quiz and see how you measure up. Take the quiz

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Can You Scale the Food Pyramid?

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