“I’m doing everything right and I’m just not losing weight!”

“I eat SO healthy. I don’t know why the pounds aren’t coming off.”

“Maybe I should just stop trying. Nothing seems to work anyway.”

Does any of this sound familiar?

It sounds familiar to me – not only because I hear it quite a bit from clients and members of my Healthy Habits Club – but also because…..I have said those words myself at one point or another!

It’s frustrating, I know.

You feel like you are doing SO MUCH in service of your weight loss – and you’re just not seeing the results you were hoping to see. What more could you possibly do???

Maybe there’s just something inherently flawed about you – and you are that ‘weird’ person for whom traditional methods of weight loss simply don’t work.

Well, assuming that you have been to your doctor and had yourself tested for ‘Weight Loss Weirdness’ – and assuming there is nothing medically wrong with you that would impede your ability to lose weight, here are some other possible explanations.

5 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight

1. You have lost sight of appropriate portions. 

Just because it’s ‘healthy’ doesn’t mean it’s free from calories. Brown rice is a wonderful health food – but the calories can add up quickly. You still need to watch your portion sizes. The same is true for healthy foods like nuts, avocados, hummus, granola, whole grain pasta, and ‘healthy’ cookies and muffins. The only foods that are truly ‘safe’ to eat with reckless abandon are fruits and vegetables. For everything else, you do need to pay attention.

2. You are not exercising as effectively as you think you are.

To change your body and lose weight, you need to challenge yourself. You need to combine cardiovascular exercise with strength/resistance training. You need to switch things up from time to time, do different things, and push yourself. I know this is bummer news (I hate to sweat) – but it’s kinda the only way it works. You also need to move your body throughout the course of the day – not just during the hour or so that you are ‘officially’ exercising. If you do a solid hour of cardio/strength at the gym and you walk out feeling like a rock star…..you can’t just sit for the rest of the day. Keep. Moving. Walk, climb stairs, move about. It all adds up.

3. You love your wine.

Wine is delicious. So are margaritas on a hot summer day. Vodka drinks are super-fun, too. All of this is true. What is also true is that they can totally sabotage your weight-loss efforts – lightening fast – without you even registering it. I have had plenty of clients and club members swear up and down that they do EVERYTHING ‘right’ in order to lose weight – eat proper portions, exercise well, move alot, etc, etc – but then we dig deeper and realize that they are drinking upwards of 5 cocktails a week! There’s your problem!  Again, if you are at your goal weight and having no trouble maintaining it – drink up! Otherwise, you have a choice to make between your weight….and your wine.

4. Everything is a ‘treat’.

A treat is supposed to be special. And it’s special because it’s something that you don’t have all the time. Having a cookie or a piece of cake or an oversized whipped-up coffee drink every day as your ‘afternoon treat’ is not the proper use of a treat. If you’re having it every day, it’s not a treat….rather, it’s just a regular part of your diet. If you’re having a greasy noodle dish from the Thai place once a week, even THAT is not really a ‘treat’ – it’s your regular Thursday night dinner. Treats are infrequent. That’s what makes them so exciting, and worth savoring and relishing and enjoying. Again, if you are currently at your goal weight and happy with your body – treat yourself as much as you like! But if you’ve been scratching your head as to why you’re not losing weight, I encourage you to re-evaluate your treat frequency!

5. You think this should all be a whole lot easier.

I get it. It’s a big, crappy DOWNER to realize that, if you want to lose weight, you need to make some different choices in they way you feed yourself and care for yourself. It’s an even BIGGER downer to realize that you have to keep making those choices again and again and again over time. You can’t just order a healthy salad for lunch and consider your work ‘done’ for the week. Ya gotta KEEP GOING. Every meal. Every bite. Every day. It takes time to create new habits and see results. Please don’t grow discouraged  and give up if you haven’t lost all the weight you want to lose after 3 weeks. That’s precisely the moment when you need to double down and keep going. Just. Keep. Going.

Let’s dive in with our next Monthly Move. Remember – you’re never ‘behind’ and you can always revisit the previous Moves whenever you want. As long as you’re working on SOMEthing, you’ll be doing just fine!

This month, we’re talking about FAT.

Now, haven’t we already done a Monthly Move about fat?

Yes. Sort of. We did a Monthly Move about discerning between FAT and OIL (and if you haven’t done that one, you are welcome to do it now – instead of this one. Or not! Whatever works).

This month we’re going to look at overall fat consumption – and how it can help you with weight loss (if that’s what you’re working on) or your overall health (which I hope we’re all working on!).

As you may already know, our bodies need fat. We MUST eat fat – and we will die without it.

But too much fat in the diet – and too much of the wrong kind of fat (saturated fat, animal fat) – can lead to obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Ew.

So it really comes down to what KIND of fat we should be eating (whole food, plant-based fat) – and HOW MUCH. So…..

How Much Fat Should We Be Eating?

Great question.

According to the USDA 2010 guidelines:

Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.

And according the American Heart Association:

Eat between 25-35 percent of your total daily calories as fats, including fats in oils and fats in foods.

So – to sum up – 35% of your calories from fat is the agreed upon UPPER LIMIT for how much fat is healthy to include in your diet.

No more than 35%.

As for the lower-limit, the USDA submits that it is safe and healthy eat 20% of your calories from fat.

From what I have learned and studied in my experience, I would advise sticking closer to the lower limit of 20-25% calories from fat – particularly if you’re interested in weight loss – and here’s why:

There’s a lot of debate about what constitutes a truly ‘low-fat’ diet. According the the figures above, 35 % of your calories from fat could be considered a low-fat diet.

But, the fact is, it’s not.

35% of your calories from fat is NOT low-fat.

It’s lower than the 41-45% fat that most Americans eat – but it ain’t LOW fat.

Think about it.

If 35% of your calories is the MAXIMUM amount you could consume and still be considered healthy, then….35% is, technically, the higher-fat option in a healthy range.

20% is more accurately LOW-fat – and that is what I generally recommend IF you are looking to lose weight and/or lower your cholesterol and maximize your heart health and longevity.

Monthly Move: For the next 30 days, consume 20-25% of your calories from fat.

As always – don’t freak out.

There are exceptions.

Just like with the Monthly Move about Fat vs. Oil – we make exceptions for WHOLE foods, like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olives.

But for EVERYTHING ELSE that has a food label, you are going to do a little math (gulp) and figure out the percentage of the calories that come from fat. If it’s more than 25%…..put it back.

Let’s now explore how you will do this.

When you look on a food label, you’ll notice that they present you with the facts about fat content in several different forms. They show you the ‘Total Fat’, the ‘Percentage Of Fat’ and also the ‘Calories From Fat’. And all three of these numbers will be different.

Each of these measurements is valid in its own special way – but TWO of them are kind of misleading and aren’t telling you what you think they’re telling you. There’s only ONE of these measurements that you need to pay attention to – EVER.

 But first – here’s what they all mean.

Total Fat

Most people go straight to the line on the label where it says: TOTAL FAT.

Makes sense, right? You want to know the TOTAL FAT content of the food you’re about to eat. That might actually be a useful measurement…..if that’s what the ‘total fat’ measurement was telling you.

See – the measurement of “total fat” that is provided to you on a food label is given to you in GRAMS. That means, it’s telling you how much the fat in your food item WEIGHS in relation to the total weight of the whole product. It’s not telling you anything about calories or what percentage of the food you’re eating is actually fat.

I don’t know about you – but that’s not particularly useful for me. My brain doesn’t think in terms of food weight, when I’m trying to decide what to eat, does yours?

Do you often find yourself daydreaming aloud, “Gee, I wonder how much the fat in these chips weighs?”

No. No one thinks like that.

Telling you the WEIGHT of the fat in your food in grams isn’t exactly the best way to know whether or not you’re making a smart choice.

So if the “total fat” measurement is not really useful, let’s look at…..

Percentage of RDA

Well, usually on a food label, you will see a simple, straight-forward PERCENTAGE – and it’s usually in bold, as if to say, “Look at me. You can trust me!”.

“Oh, cool!” you might be thinking, “It’s telling me the percentage of this product that is fat! That seems useful!”.

And – you’re right – that WOULD be really useful. It would be very useful to know what percentage of the food you’re eating is actually made up of FAT.

Except the ‘percentage’ measurement on the food label is NOT actually telling you that piece of information.

Wha?

Stay with me here: The percentage it’s referring to is actually the percentage of YOUR “recommended daily allowance”of fat that the food item contains.

 Yes. It’s confusing. I’ll say it again.

When it says, “Percentage of Fat” – it’s telling you the percentage of YOUR PARTICULAR “recommended daily allowance” of fat that the food contains.

“But – wait – how can it possibly know that??”

“How does it know who I am ??”

“How can it know what I weigh or what I’ve eaten or what I’m planning to eat later on??”

Good questions, my friends!

It doesn’t know any of that.

It’s basing its percentage on an ‘average’ diet of 2,000 calories a day. So, if you eat exactly 2,000 calories in a day – every day – then the percentage of fat listed on the food label will be relevant to you.

Otherwise….it’s kinda….totally and completely useless.

And The Winner Is…..

The ONLY thing you need to look at when you’re reading a food label for fat content is: Total Calories – and Total Calories from FAT.

It’s right up there at the top.

Let’s have a closer look:

 Total Calories: This is actually pretty straight forward and trustworthy. It’s telling you how many calories are in one SERVING of the food product.

Please understand that it’s not telling you how many calories are in the whole PACKAGE. It’s only referring to one SERVING – and it will also tell you how many servings are in the whole package.

 Total Calories From Fat: Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!! This is your winner!! This measurement is telling you how many of the calories in one serving of the product are calories from FAT.

You can use these numbers to figure out the percentage.

Here’s an example:

Let’s make it simple.

Suppose you have a product that has 100 calories per serving.

You scan the label and look for the “calories from fat”  listing, and it says that the product contains 20 calories from fat.

20 is exactly 20% of 100 – so this would be an acceptable ratio!

What if you had a product that contained 100 calories per serving, and had 44 calories from fat?

44 is exactly 44% of 100, so – boooooooo. This product has too many calories from fat. We’re looking for less than 25% of the calories from fat.

Put it back on the shelf.

Now, the numbers are not always that simple, or in multiples of 10. Sometimes, you will need to do a little math in the grocery aisle in order to figure out what percentage of your food is actually coming from fat.

Here’s the formula:

Divide the ‘calories from fat‘ by the ‘total calories’ – and then move your decimal point two spots to the right.

Or use the calculator on your phone.

My grade school math teacher would be so proud of me.

It’s annoying, I know, that they have given you THREE (3) different fat measurements on a food label – but, in order to get to the only one that’s useful, you have to do math. But there it is.

What Happens Now?

Head on over to the Facebook group and freak out. Let’s hear it! What are your fears? What are you already dreading? Or, perhaps, you are excited about this one! All your feelings and concerns are more than welcome.

Be sure to submit your questions for the Live Call that’s happening on Sunday, June 16th at 7pm EST. Submit a question here.

 Reading List

Low-Fat Diets Are Grossly Misrepresented – Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry, Cornell

Does A Mediterranean Diet Really Beat Low-Fat For Heart Health? – Dr. Dean Ornish

How You Can Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease – Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Choose A Diet Low In Fat, Saturated Fat, And Cholesterol – www.Health.Gov Dietary Guidelines

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE RECORDING!

We’re definitely going to have to do this again! Our first Q&A session with Chef Scott was a smashing success and there was a LOT to learn!

Listen to this call for tips on:

- Leafy Greens

- The proper use of salt and pepper

- How to sauté

- Coconut oil

- Tips for how to cook ahead for the whole week

- Making a balsamic reduction

- Cooking for multiple palates

AND MORE!!

Thank-you to everyone who contributed so beautifully to the success of this call – just by showing up!

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE RECORDING!

Once you’re on the new page for the recording, playback will begin automatically. You may also download the recording from that page and save it on your own computer. Cool, right?

Enjoy!

People often ask me about their food.

“Is  ABC good for me??” or, “Is XYZ bad for me??” they’ll inquire.

My answers are not always so cut and dry.

Some foods aren’t really that GOOD for you….but they’re certainly BETTER than some other alternatives.

Some foods are not exactly BAD for you – they’re just not as GOOD as they could be.

And then there are foods that are unequivocal ROCK STARS – and other foods that, in my opinion, should never, ever, ever pass your lips!

Today I’m going to tackle the top three situations that I am asked about – and share my thoughts on how to make the distinctions between Good, Bad, and Better.

Let’s dive in.

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“I stopped drinking regular soda and now I only drink diet. That’s better for me, right?”

Well…..not exactly. You have essentially traded one set of problems for another. Neither beverage could ever be considered ‘good’ for you – and it’s really debatable which one could be considered ‘better’ than the other.

Regular soda is high in calories, loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup (booooo) and offers ZERO nutritional benefits to your body. It’s basically just a GREAT way to gain weight and mess up your body chemistry. Truly.

Diet soda is low in calories and doesn’t contain sugar or corn syrup – so there’s that ‘advantage’ over the regular version – BUT……and this is a huge, enormous, not-to-be-ignored BUT…..it is a chemical soup. Utterly fake. G-g-g-garbage. It’s sweetened with artificial sweeteners which, though calorie-free, still raise your blood sugar and trigger the ‘sweet’ response in your brain, making you want MORE.

Soooooo, it may not add any calories to your diet, but it’s still not providing anything of value, and it’s still messing up your body chemistry. Blegh.

VERDICT: Bad for you. Always.

P.S. The ‘natural’ sodas that you find in health food stores are, sadly, not much better for you. They may be sweetened with agave or stevia, but they add empty calories and don’t provide much else. My advice? Drink them sparingly – as a treat, when you’re out and about – but, otherwise, just stick with water.

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I always have skim milk or low-fat milk instead of whole milk. That’s good for me, right?

This is kind of a trick question for me because, as you may already know, I don’t believe that ANY milk is good for ANYone. Gasp! Blasphemous, I know!

You can learn all about my thoughts on milk and dairy products in my free ecourse on the subject – but, suffice it to say that there are mountains and mountains of evidence to show that dairy is not the dietary rock star all those cute milk-moustache ads would have you believe.

THAT SAID……believe it or not but, if you have the choice between skim, 2%, or whole milk, I would begrudgingly advocate that you choose the whole milk (after I begged you to switch to almond milk or rice milk and completely ditch the dairy).

Here’s why: Skim milk and 2% milk are highly, highly processed. It doesn’t just come out of the cow and into your carton – ta da. First it gets pasteurized, and then it gets further processed to remove or ‘skim’ the fat.

Now, in some respects, that is a good thing (because dairy products are obscenely high in fat and cholesterol) – BUT it means that all you are really left with is the sugar and some animal protein.

It’s kind of just…..sugary, animal water. Sorry. It’s true.

You’re better off with a teeny portion of full-fat milk that’s lower in sugar and, technically, closer to a whole food. The next time you’re at the store, compare the sugar content of whole milk versus skim. The skim will be much higher.

I don’t believe that ANY milk is actually GOOD for you, but I would hold my nose and say that whole milk, in very small portions, is slightly better for you than skim or 2%.

VERDICT: Whole milk is better (in seriously small portions, if I can’t convince you to ditch it entirely).

P.S. Yes – you’ve heard almost everyone say that low-fat dairy products are the way to go, which is the exact opposite of what I have just said. If you drink low-fat milk, you’ll take in more sugar, but less fat. If you drink whole milk, you’ll take in more fat, but less sugar. Both options STINK – which is why I’d love for you to switch to a plant-based milk (almond milk, rice milk) – which are both low in sugar AND fat. No need to choose between the lesser of two evils!

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“I’m trying to lose weight, so I’m avoiding carbs. Carbs are bad for me, right?”

No.

Carbs are not bad for you.

Carbohydrates are one of the 3 essential macronutrients (protein and fat being the other two) and, if you don’t eat carbohydrates, you will discover that you will eventually drop dead.

You. Must. Eat. Carbs.

However…..

All carbs are not created equal. What you must seek to avoid if you are trying to lose weight – or if you would just like to live a long, healthy, disease-free life – are the Garbage Carbs or, as I like to call them…..

GARBS.

New word alert!!

Garbs are the carbohydrates found in white sugar, white flour, most cereals, most wraps, JUICE,  fluffy breads, cookies, muffins, cakes, most pretzels, all pasta that isn’t whole grain, white rice, high fructose corn syrup, and soda.

To name a few.

Garbs are responsible for making you fat, making you feel sluggish and doughy, raising your blood sugar, and increasing the inflammation in your body which will, in turn, lay the groundwork for all manner of disease.

GARBS are bad for you.

CARBS, on the other hand – more specifically, complex carbohydrates – are necessary and very, very good for you. They give you energy, they stabilize your blood sugar, and they help reduce inflammation. And, because many complex carbs are also high in fiber, they can help you lose weight.

Examples of healthy carbs include whole fruit, whole vegetables (all kinds), whole grains, beans and other legumes, and nuts and seeds.

Check this out -

Which makes more common sense to you about carbohydrates:

A) She gained a ton of weight because she ate too many donuts, white pasta, and gummy worms. 

B) She gained a ton of weight because she ate too many apples, brown rice, and garbanzo beans. 

VERDICT: Carbs are not bad for you – they can be quite GOOD.

Garbs, on the other hand, are BAD.

********************************************************** 

In closing, here’s a quick set of criteria to determine whether something is good, better, or downright bad for you -

GOOD for you: It’s a whole food, meaning it looks pretty much exactly how it looked coming out of the ground or off a tree. It’s recognizable. It doesn’t have any added breading, oils, cheese, or sugar. In other words, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

BETTER for you: It’s not entirely whole, and it may have added oil and sugar……but it does not contain any of the items on the bad-for-you list below.

BAD for you: It contains ANY (even one) of the following: high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, cholesterol, trans fats, lard – or mostly ‘chemical’ ingredients that sound like they belong in a science lab.

We’re continuing our focus on leafy greens over in my Healthy Habits Coaching Club – and, I’ll be honest, it’s a challenge!

Our goal this month is to eat a true leafy green vegetable (kale, spinach, lettuce, collards, etc) with at least two (2) meals each day. 

Having a salad at lunch is fairly easy for people – but getting that second meal with leafy greens can take a little more thought and planning.

Chef Scott to the rescue!

Today, he’s serving up a delicious, comforting, TASTY pasta dish – that also happens to feature a heaping pile of leafy greens. 

Adding more leafy greens to your diet can be an extremely effective – and delicious – way to improve your health and shrink your waistline.

And with recipes like this one, it’s even easier!

Bon appétit!

-N

P.S. Chef Scott will be answering all your cooking questions in the next live call for the Healthy Habits Coaching Club. If you want in on it, just join the club!

Take It Away, Chef Scott…..

This super green pasta dish needs no witty introduction. All you need to know is that it’s tasty and good for you!

Even the spinach pesto has ZERO oil in it.

Just make it. You’ll be happy you did.

Super Green Pasta

It’s a leafy green explosion: spinach two ways, collard greens, and basil (which I am counting as a leafy green). Comes together super quickly and is way tasty!

16 oz whole wheat penne

4 cups spinach, divided

1 cup pine nuts

3 cloves garlic

4 oz. fresh basil

1 Tbl tahini

1/3 cup water

juice of 1 lemon

1 onion, chopped

1 bunch of collard greens, stemmed

2 cups frozen peas (defrosted)

2 tsp olive oil

salt

crushed red pepper

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and get those onions in there. Season with salt and crushed red pepper, and saute for about five minutes.

Remove stems from collards and lay leaves on top of each other. Roll into a cigar and slice into thin strips. They should stay rolled up, so slice them in half again just to make them a bit more bite size. Add to the onions, toss, and season with a pinch of salt. Add 2 Tbl water and allow greens to wilt, about five to seven minutes, stirring frequently. Once greens are cooked, add peas and heat through.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in heavily salted water until just under al dente (about half the recommended cooking time). Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

In a food processor, combine pine nuts, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice and pulse until a smooth paste forms. Scrape the sides, season with salt, and add 2 cups spinach, basil, and 1/3 cup water. Pulse until smooth.

Add cooked pasta to the pan. Add remaining two cups of spinach, the pesto, and slowly add water until you have reached to desired consistency. Delish!

It’s all about leafy greens this month in my Healthy Habits Club. How many can you eat in one day?

You see, all leafy greens are vegetables – but not all vegetables are leafy greens.

Leafy greens are MAGIC.

Though all vegetables have some nutritional value (and we could all stand to eat more of them), there is a special, exalted place in the diet for LEAFY GREENS.

Loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, low in calories and high in fiber – you really can’t go wrong!

What counts as a leafy green? All lettuces, kale, spinach, collards, chard, endive, arugula, etc, etc.

Please accept my invitation to CHOW DOWN!

Today, Chef Scott is giving us a fabulous way to sneak in some greens, if you are bored with making salads.

And if you’re curious about my Healthy Habits Coaching Club (Stay Healthy. Stay Motivated. No Dieting) – come try it out for free for 30 days!

Bon appétit!

-N

Take It Away, Chef Scott……

Gorilla wraps.

Those little vegan, burrito-like treats wrapped in a collard leaf seem to be popping up everywhere lately.

Drew Barrymore swears by them, crediting their fibery, leafy goodness for helping her shed her baby weight. Personally, I think the weight loss is due to half of the wrap falling out onto her plate. These suckers can be messy!

Kidding aside, these little babies are a tasty way to get your veggies and feel totally satisfied. The trick is using larger leaves and not over stuffing them. The ingredients stay in the wrap, and you can eat more of them that way!

I’ve been drawn towards Asian flavors lately, so I thought I would play around with the wrap idea. Soy, wasabi, and ginger spice up mushrooms and walnuts, while carrots, daikon, and cucumber provide some delicious crunch.

Just don’t over stuff!

Asian Inspired Gorilla Wraps

This recipe is pretty much “method cooking” and can be adapted to suit whatever mood your palate is in. Play around with different regional flavors with the mushroom and walnut mixture (Tex-Mex, curry, Mediterranean) and additional fixin’s!

8 oz mushrooms

1/2 yellow onion

1 cup walnuts

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 cup long grain or wild rice, cooked

8 large collard leaves

1 Tbl soy sauce

1″ fresh ginger, grated

2 Tbl hoisin sauce

As much wasabi paste as you can stand

2 tsp rice vinegar

2 tsp olive oil

Wrap Fixin’s

daikon radish

carrots, grated or julienned

cucumbers, chopped

avocado

onion, red or green

edamame

cilantro

basil

In a food processor, combine mushrooms, onion, walnuts and garlic, and pulse until it forms a chunky paste.

In a large saute pan, heat oil and cook the mushroom mixture with soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi until veggies are cooked through, about five to seven minutes. Deglaze pan with the vinegar and cook an additional minute. Set aside to cool.

Remove stems from collards. Hold the stem and fold the leaf. Gently pull the stem about 3/4 of the way. You want to leave a large enough area to place the stuffing. Now, start layering! Rice, then mushroom mixture, and veggies. Fold sides over, then gently roll collard into a burrito shape. Enjoy!

Hello, hello!

Welcome to our next Monthly Move!

Remember – you’re never ‘behind’ and you can always revisit the previous Moves whenever you want. As long as you’re working on SOMEthing, you’ll be doing just fine!

So, here we go -

Most people know at this point that we’re all supposed to be eating more vegetables, right?

Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables. Ya gotta eat more vegetables.

Including more vegetables in your diet has been proven, time and again, to help you lose weight, and lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

And when you hear ‘vegetables’ you may be thinking of things like spinach, carrots, peas, broccoli, brussels sprouts, corn etc, etc, etc.

And you’d be right!

But all vegetables are not created equal.

Each vegetable has a unique value and role in the diet – but there is a special, magical, exalted place in our diets for LEAFY GREENS.

You see, all leafy greens are vegetables – but not all vegetables are leafy greens.

Leafy greens are magic.

Leafy greens have the double-healthy-whammy of being SOAKED in phytonutrients, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals, while ALSO being extraordinarily low in calories. Like, lower than all the other vegetables. Dark, leafy greens are also a very good source of calcium (yes – calcium!).

Leafy greens are powerful, POWERFUL tools in creating optimal health which, as we know, will lead to an optimal body weight.

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Side Note:

I had a nutrition instructor once who would shake her head at us, and proclaim:

“If your meal does not include a leafy green vegetable – sigh – then it is NOT a meal”.

Whoa.

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I’m tellin’ ya. Get. Your. Greens.

And let those greens be LEAFY.

So………

Monthly Move: Eat Leafy Greens 

For the next 30 days, have leafy greens with at LEAST two meals each and every day.

Most of us don’t have trouble eating a salad at lunch, or some kale at dinner.

But, this month, I’m asking you to have a salad for lunch AND kale at dinner.

I’m challenging you to organize your meals for the next 30 days around including a leafy green vegetable with AT LEAST two meals a day. That’s the minimum.

Now some of you won’t have any trouble with this at all. If that’s the case, I challenge you to kick it up a notch and include leafy greens in your breakfasts, your snacks – anywhere you can get ‘em!

If it already feels daunting to you to think of including leafy greens at lunch and dinner, then do the very, very best you can. ‘Perfection’ is never our goal.

What counts as a ‘leafy green’ for our purposes?

ALL lettuces (romaine, red leaf, iceberg, mesclun, frissee, etc, etc,)

Arugula

Chard (all kinds)

Collards

Endive

Escarole

Kale

Mustard Greens

Radicchio

Spinach

Turnip greens

Watercress

But what about…..

What about cabbage? What about broccoli? What about brusssels sprouts?

Aren’t those supposed to be really good for you? Don’t they kinda, sorta have leaves?

YES!! And you should eat them all the livelong day! Please don’t stop eating them – ever!

TECHNICALLY, though…..cabbage, broccoli, and brussels sprouts are considered cruciferous vegetables.

Cruciferous vegetables are amaaaaazing health powerhouses that play a role in reducing your risk of cancer – among other things.

Eat. Them.

For this Monthly Move, however, I am asking you to ALSO include a true leafy green from the list above in at least two of your meals.

Please ADD the leafy greens. Do not SUBTRACT all your other veggies.

A word about smoothies and juice…..

I know that some folks like to sneak in some greens and veggies by juicing them or putting them into smoothies.

For this Monthly Move, I am going to request that, if you do that, you STILL seek to have whole leafy greens at two other meals.

HERE’S WHY:

It’s important to chew.

Digestion begins in your mouth, with the action of chewing and the release of digestive enzymes in your saliva.

When you blend up your greens in a smoothie – or extract all the fiber in a juice – you rob your body of that important digestive step.

When you blend or juice, you have essentially pre-digested (or, in the case of juice, totally eliminated) the beneficial insoluble fiber that is crucial to healthy digestion and regulating blood sugar levels.

Think about it. You don’t chew liquids.

Ever feel kinda bloated after you drink a juice or a smoothie?

That’s ‘cos you didn’t have to chew anything, so you skipped a whole step of the digestive process. You may have made everything go a little wonky (a scientific term).

In any event, to juice or not to juice, to smoothie or not to smoothie is a much bigger topic than we need to address here in this moment.

Alls I’m asking is that, for this month, you consider chewing your leafy greens for 2 meals every day. And if you still want some spinach in your morning smoothie – go for it.

What Happens Now?

Head on over to the Facebook group and freak out. Let’s hear it! What are your fears? What are you already dreading? Or, perhaps, you are excited about this one! All your feelings and concerns are more than welcome.

Be sure to submit your questions for the Live Call that’s happening on Sunday, May 19th at 7pm EST. Submit a question here.

Reading List

Health Benefits Of Leafy Greens – Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., CDN

Top 10 Leafy Greens – WebMD.com

Foods That Fight Cancer: Dark, Leafy Greens – American Institute for Cancer Research

Leafy Greens Help Keep Your Arteries Calm – The YOU docs, Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Mike Roizen

Recipes

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Leeks and Golden Raisins

Roasted Ratatouille Salad with Barley and Kale

Whole Grain Penne with Kale, Black Olives, and Capers

Mushrooms and Wilted Spinach With Barley

Tomatillo Salsa Salad

Roasted Peach and Red Onion Salad With Bitter Greens

I. Love. Quick. Summer. Salads.

Seriously – is there anything better on a spring or summer afternoon than quickly tossing together a meal that’s healthy, colorful, refreshing  and delicious?

Today, Chef Scott is giving us the perfect chunky guacamole salad to bring to a potluck, or to just…..eat by yourself.

This dish features heart-healthy, nutritious avocados, as well as corn, cilantro, onion and red peppers for fiber and antioxidants. There’s also very minimal oil – which is a big plus.

Check out his suggestions for how to bulk it up into a full, proper meal!

Bon appétit!

-N

Take It Away, Chef Scott……

Warm weather is coming to Chicago.

I swear it is.

This week, flowers started to bloom. A giant glowing thing in the sky made an appearance. And, little green things started to appear on tree branches. If memory serves me, I believe they are called “leaves.” I’m in the mood for something fresh, fast, and uncomplicated. And super tasty.

I love guacamole, so I played around with the idea of a chunky guac salad. Here’s what I came up with…

Corn and Avocado Salad

This salad comes together in a flash and utilizes one of the few veggies I buy from the freezer section: corn. As the season progresses and fresh corn appears in your market, try grilling the corn right on the cob for an extra boost of flavor! Bulk this salad up with black beans and quinoa and serve it over spinach.

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

2 large avocados, cubed

1 sweet onion (preferably Vidalia), chopped

1 red pepper, ribs removed and chopped

10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1/2 cup cilantro

2 limes, zest and juice

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl. To make the vinaigrette, combine lime zest, juice, cumin, and salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Pour over veggies and toss to combine. Easy, peasy, cool, breezy.

People make changes when they’re ready – and usually not one second sooner.

Have you ever tried to convince someone else to quit smoking?

How’d that work out for ya?

My guess is…not so great.

It’s maddening, right? Because everybody knows how TERRIBLE and unhealthy it is to smoke.

“What’s wrong with you??!!” you want to scream at your smoker-friend.

“How can you continue to smoke??? You KNOW it’s bad for you, don’t you?? “.

Doesn’t make any sense, right?

Why doesn’t your friend quit smoking?

Because your friend isn’t ready.

Be assured, your friend does not want to die. Your friend does not want to get lung cancer – and your friend knows that smoking is a terrible, unhealthy, horrible habit with no redeeming health value.

But, in spite of all of this,  your friend is not ready to quit smoking.

Because, if your friend quit smoking, your friend would have to learn new ways to cope with stress, anxiety, sadness, and fear. Your friend would have to find a new way to be social.

Your friend would have to change.

And change in the right-here-right-now feels more frightening and overwhelming than a possibly-maybe-far-away terrible death from cigarette smoking.

Now let’s talk about YOU.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about losing some weight.

Maybe your doctor has been nudging you to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol.

Maybe you would love to get back into your favorite jeans, or look better naked.

Maybe you know you could be eating better and exercising more.

These all sound like really great ideas, right?

So, are you ready to make it happen?

Are you ready to make it happen…..right NOW?

I mean RIGHT NOW – with your very next bite?

Depending on your readiness, that question either made you scream, “Hell, YEAH!” – or it made you want to take a nap.

But there’s no real in-between.

You’re either ready or you’re not.

Just like with your maddening, frustrating smoker-friend, no amount of pushing and prodding from anybody else will ever be enough to ‘persuade’ you to start changing your behavior – until YOU decide it’s finally time.

And, if it’s not time yet, then it’s just not time yet.

The truth is, you will be ready when you’re ready – and not one second sooner.

But – please, mark my words –  when you ARE ready, you will be unstoppable. Because you will have decided that you want to CHANGE more than you want the comfort of staying the same.

You will have decided that you are excited to learn a new way of being  - not overwhelmed and filled with dread.

You will have an open mind and a willing spirit – and an eagerness to finally break through your obstacles.

And it will all feel a lot easier than you ever imagined.

Because you will be ready for it.

Are you one of those people who can eat something yummy in a restaurant – and then recreate it at home?

I’m not.

I can’t do that.

But Chef Scott can! 

And today he is sharing his recreation of a delicious restaurant eggplant dish – made healthier with the addition of superfood kale, reduced oil, and super-grain quinoa. And, of course, fiber-rich eggplant!

It’s one of those recipes that’s not that hard to make – but lets you feel shmancy when you eat it.

Bon appétit!

-N

Take It Away, Chef Scott….

I love playing around in the kitchen. Perhaps it is the act of creation, but I derive so much pleasure spending time dancing around a soup pot making a point of inspiration a culinary reality. I particularly love trying to recreate restaurant dishes at home and putting my own spin on them.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, no?

I recently had a simply divine Moroccan Spiced Eggplant, which was served over jasmine rice. The warm, earthy spices (like cumin, turmeric, ginger, and a hint of rosemary) balance the unique flavor of the eggplant, which can be slightly bitter at times. I’m a huge eggplant lover so I thought I should try to figure out how to make it at home.

Here’s what I came up with:

Moroccan Spiced Eggplant with Kale

The vinegar soaked raisins add a delightful sweet and sour note to the dish. I serve this over quinoa instead of rice

1 eggplant, cut into 3/4″ cubes

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 15oz can diced tomatoes

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock

4 cups kale, stemmed and chopped (1 bunch)

herb bundle of 1 sprig rosemary and 5 sprigs thyme

2 tsp olive oil

salt to taste

In a large pan over medium heat, heat oil until it shimmers and saute onions until golden, about five minutes. Add cumin, turmeric, paprika, and garlic. Bloom spices for one minute. Add eggplant and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, herb bundle, and water. Stir to combine thoroughly. Cover pan (or place a piece of parchment paper over it) and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the eggplant simmers, soak raisins in the vinegar. Once the eggplant mixture has thickened slightly, remove herb bundle and add the raisins, vinegar, and kale. Cook, stirring frequently, until kale has just barley wilted. Season with salt to taste.