Hello all!

I just applied to be a Foot Soldier with the Army of Women, and can’t believe I haven’t brought this up before. The Army of Women is a grass-roots-type organization sponsored by Avon and headed by Dr. Susan Love, a top breast cancer expert.

The focus of the organization is to link people who want to help with breast cancer research with studies that are a good fit for them. Studies get done faster and easier, and treatments will be available sooner. We all win.

Here’s the deal: you can sign up with Army of Women, and you will be notified of all the studies they are sponsoring via email. If you are a good fit for any of them, you have the option to participate. There is no obligation, ever. All the studies are legitimate, and sponsored by qualified researchers. There is no obligation to purchase Avon products or receive their promotional materials, either.

Studies are available that include women who currently are being treated for breast cancer, breast cancer survivors, family members, and women with no cancer history. Some are limited to a specific geographic location, because participants need to be seen by the doctors conducting the study.

Currently I don’t qualify for any study except a database of women who at this point have not developed breast cancer. They will look at the differences between those that do and do not develop breast cancer throughout the study. I wish I could do more.

But maybe you can! Studies are being conducted all over the country, in fact there may be links to studies all over the world. You can discuss any potential participation with your doctor, and there is never an obligation to participate in a research study.

Regardless of your cancer history, sign up here to join the Army of Women and fight against breast cancer. It doesn’t hurt a bit.

I was looking through an old (February, 2010) issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition and found  an article I had marked to read “later.” And yes, miracle of miracles, “later” actually came.  See what good things can come from finding an excuse not to mop the floor?

Anyway, this research study is too good not to share. Green tea can help us lose weight and improve our blood cholesterol levels. Yes, on its own, without diet or exercise. This study was one of three that have shown this wonderful property of green tea. Hooray for a drink with superpowers. No wonder it has its own ceremony.

Here’s me getting all sciency on this for you:

While the study was small (35 people), those who drank 4 cups of green tea per day lost on average 5.5 pounds more than the placebo group in eight weeks, and those who took green tea supplements lost an average of 4.2 lbs. more than the placebo group. Weight loss for the placebo group was not significant. The subjects in the study were clinically obese; if you only want to lose a few pounds your results might not be as dramatic. But hey, for something so easy to do, a boost of a couple pounds lost is great.

The tea used in this study was Bigelow Decaffeinated Green Tea; four bags were steeped in four cups of boiled water for 10 minutes (I know, don’t tell any of your English friends!) – no sugar or milk was added to the tea, artificial sweetener was used by each participant as they desired. Each person in the green tea group had four eight-ounce cups each day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon (6-8 hours later). One large mug usually holds 12 ounces, so a cup with a warm-up is a good amount.

The extract supplements used were made by Solaray, and contained 230 mg of EGCG in each capsule (the bottle says 250 mg, but the lab says 230 mg). Each person in the supplement group took two capsules total each day, spaced 6-8 hours apart, for a total of 460 mg of EGCG and 870 mg of total catechins (another superpower weapon) per day. Bigelow tea is available at most supermarkets and Solaray supplements are available at most health food stores and natural grocery stores. Both are available online here (Amazon gives me a small thank you if you purchase through these links):Bigelow Green Tea

Solaray Green Tea Extract

The people (I think participant sounds kind of creepy) in this study were instructed to not change their diet or exercise habits during the eight weeks. Permission not to diet or exercise, and they probably got paid a little somethin-somethin. I know, how do we sign up for this? Other studies that included dietary modification and exercise along with green tea showed even more benefits. Those studies lasted an average of 12 weeks.

So there you go, as close to a magic potion as we have gotten so far when it comes to weight loss and health. Many researchers think green tea consumption is the reason breast cancer is so rare in Japan (along with their love of vegetables and fruit), and the compounds in green tea have been shown to have many anti-cancer properties. There really is no down side that we know of right now to drinking reasonable amounts of green tea. See, superpowers.

If drinking four cups of tea does not fit into your daily routine, the capsules are a great alternative. The results weren’t quite as impressive, but then again, no one had to boil water or dirty a cup. The bottom line for me is that I now drink a lot of green tea and have started taking capsules as well.

It seems 1.3 billion Chinese people can’t be wrong, after all…

There is a lot of talk going around about Eating Seasonally. Which means eating what is grown in your area when it is at its peak, instead of eating the same things year-round and just flying them in from another part of the world when they are not in season locally.

Research is producing more and more evidence that eating this way is not just good for the environment, but also good for our health. The foods that are in season during the hot summer months also have many nutrients that protect our skin from the sun. So these foods grow when we benefit the most from them, and others grow when those nutrients are needed. Mother Nature is brilllliiaant!

Lycopene is a heavy hitter in the antioxidant world, and is especially potent in protecting our skin from sunburn and sun damage. Where do we find lots of lycopene? Tomatoes, watermelon, apricots, and guava are all great sources. And they are all symbols of juice-dripping-down-your-chin summer deliciousness.

Antioxidants like vitamin C, E and A are all great skin protectors. They are abundant in fruits like cantaloupe, watermelon, avocado, bell peppers, yellow peaches, nectarines, and basically all summer fruits and veggies. No guilt in adding that avocado to your plate – it protects your skin!

There are more than 10,000 antioxidants in the foods we eat, and two kinds that you may not have heard of can do wonders to protect your skin. One is flavanols (also called flavanoids) and they are abundant in tea, coffee and cocoa.  While tea is not a seasonal food, a tall glass of iced tea sure tastes good when its hot. Iced coffee, too – but avoid the super-sugar filled, whipped cream-topped ones and stick to a non-fat iced mocha or vanilla latte. Excess sugar contributes to skin damage. Not what we want when most of our skin is exposed. An added bonus: citrus fruits like lemon and orange help us absorb more of these good guys from our tea – and they taste good. (In fact, many food combinations that taste good also contribute to increased nutrient absorption from the foods – a topic for another post.)

Polyphenols are the other and have been shown to slash the risk of skin cancer. Most herbs are loaded with polyphenols, and are likely to be taking over the garden this time of year. Oregano, rosemary, thyme, and basil are especially delicious with summer vegetables and fish. Oh, and that fish is likely a good source of omega-3 fats, another skin-loving nutrient. Grass-fed beef has more omega-3 fats than corn or grain fed beef, so look for that when you are making your burgers and do your skin (and your heart) a favor.

Dark leafy greens like spinach, chard, romaine lettuce, and broccoli rabe are all excellent sources of many antioxidants and nutrients that protect skin, along with just about every body part we have. When it is just too hot to turn on the oven, a hearty salad is the ticket to satisfaction.

These foods are all good for you in so many ways. Raw or cooked, combined in any way that tastes good to you, they will be your friends and allies in the quest for health and beauty. Beauty is more than skin deep, and skin cancer is not beautiful on anyone.

So eat up all these delicious summer foods, slather on the sunscreen, slap on a hat, and love how great your skin looks all year long.

A new study was published in The Lancet (June 10 issue, if you are interested), in which many very smart researchers looked at a lot of stroke studies and figured out that 80% of all strokes are related to five fisk factors, and 90% of strokes are related to the top 10 risk factors. The top five risk factors and most of the top 10 are all modifiable, which means you can do something about them and significantly reduce your risk of having a stroke. If you know anyone who has had a stroke, you know how much you want to avoid having one yourself.

Here’s the list, from the highest risk factor to the lowest:

1. Hypertension: the risk is especially high when at 160/90 mm Hg or higher. Talk to your doctor about how to keep your blood pressure under 120/80;  110/70 is even better. Reduce sodium and sugar in your diet, increase physical activity to at least four hours a week (see #5) and find ways to reduce your stress levels (#10) like yoga and meditation. You will see your numbers go down.
2. Smoking: current smoking is the big risk factor here, so there is still time to reduce your risk by quitting now. Ask your doctor for help, there are lots of options out there and while I know it is really hard, living with brain damage is much harder.
3. Waist-to-hip ratio: if your waist is larger than your hips, measured around with a dressmaker-type tape measure, you are at a greater risk of having a stroke. If this is you and you are having trouble losing the tummy pudge, send me an email and I’ll get you some strategies to help.
4. Diet: fruit and fish reduce risk; red meat, organ meats, lots of eggs, processed foods, deep-fried foods, pizza, salty snacks, and cooking with lard increase risk. Interestingly, vegetables were neutral in terms of risk – maybe that’s because so few people eat enough to make a difference. But that’s not us, right?
5. Physical activity: get moving at a moderate pace or more, for at least four hours a week and you can significantly reduce your risk. And probably lose some of that pesky belly bulge – cutting two risks at once. Serious multi-tasking.
6. Diabetes: you may or may not be able to change this, but keeping your blood sugar at a healthy level is important for so many reasons.
7. Alcohol intake: keep it at less than 4 drinks a week for women, at no more than one a day; men, you can have up to two drinks a day, up to five days a week max.
8. Cardiac causes: atrial fibrillation was the big risk factor here.
9. Ratio of apolipoprotein B to A1: your cardiologist or internist can help you determine this ratio with your next blood test.
10. Psychological factors: specifically stress and depression. If these are issues for you, like they are for many of us, please talk to your doctor or a qualified counselor.

One very interesting finding is that blood cholesterol levels have little to do with stroke risk; however, the ratio of apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A1 is significant. Cholesterol does have a significant role to play in heart disease and heart attacks, so please keep it at healthy levels. Just saying.

Another interesting finding is that while BMI (Body Mass Index), or your weight-to-height ratio, has little bearing on stroke risk, your waist-to-hip ratio is one of the top five. This does not mean it is healthy to be overweight, it just means that abdominal fat puts you at a higher risk for having a stroke and you can reduce your risk by getting rid of it.

Studies like these are important because they give us the power to keep ourselves healthy.

There is a lot of information here, and if you would like me to go into more detail about any of this, just let me know in the comments section. It’s what I do.

Well, its been a while – from Memorial Day to the end of the school year its like one big sprint to an imaginary finish line. Anyway, I promised to tell you how to go gluten-free without getting fat, so here goes.

Before I start, in case this is new to you, gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye grains. (Yes, carb foods contain protein, and meats contain some carbs – but that’s a topic for another post). Anything made with these grains contains gluten. This includes anything made with wheat flour, whether is it whole wheat or regular white flour.

If your physician has suggested you try a gluten or wheat-free diet and it seems confusing, call me and I can walk you through the details.

For those of you ready to move on to implementing this dietary change, there is one main thing to keep in mind: Most of what you usually eat is naturally gluten free. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, meats, rice, corn and potatoes are all free of gluten. These are the stars of your diet, aren’t they?

The reason people can gain weight when they start a gluten-free diet plan is that they go to the market and find the “Gluten Free” aisle or section. This is where the products that usually contain wheat, such as crackers, pretzels, cereals, cake mixes and cookies, are available in modified forms that use non-wheat flours so that they are free of gluten. Whew. They then buy everything in that section, and start eating all those processed, junky foods because they are gluten free.

Here’s the deal: those foods are calorie-dense, and whether you eat the regular or gluten free varieties, they will make you gain weight if you eat too much.

The key to success is to focus on foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts & seeds, low-fat dairy (if your tummy likes it), fish, and whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, and corn. The fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy ones, will help reduce any inflammation that may have been caused by a gluten sensitivity. Use these foods to fill you up and nourish you without extra calories.

Beans, nuts and seeds are great sources of protein, fiber and nutrients. Low-fat dairy, fish and lean meats provide protein and many nutrients.

Focus on these foods and you will feel great. Add whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa to round out your meals, and remember that 1/2 cup is an adult-sized serving. Gluten free pastas (I especially like the Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta) and breads are fine as part of your diet – make sure they are just in your rotation of grains, not star players.

So, that is how you do it. Sounds easy, yes? Yes. It takes a little practice, but in no time you can master this plan and fully enjoy your new way of eating. If gluten was causing you trouble, you will feel much better in a matter of weeks on this plan. And that is major motivation.

I have been trying to increase my workouts, post more to this blog and make worksheets available for all of you, and getting frustrated because I just couldn’t get it all in during the day. Usually adding a new task to an established routine is a good way to get it done without too much thought, but it just wasn’t working. Ugh. Too much hard to get the good.

While talking about this to my man friend, he pointed out to me, plain as day, that I needed to get into my rhythm. Duh. And as irritating as this obvious advice was, it was more irritating because I knew it but wasn’t getting it. And irritating because he was right. Then bing! I was using the wrong word, wrong image. A rhythm is much better than a routine.

Rhythm is fun, musical, get-your-groove-on moving forward. A routine is steady, boring, old. Now if you are one of those people who LOVE a routine, who find it quick and easy and love the sameness of getting things done: Go For It. You are stronger than I.

But if you are like me, and the thought of a routine makes you feel tired, then maybe finding a rhythm will make you move. And the best way to get your groove on? Find your soundtrack. My Mom used to play Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night (on reel-to-reel no less) every Saturday when we cleaned the house. To this day I can not listen to Sweet Caroline without having the urge to pick up a dust rag and get going.

You can do the same thing when you just can’t get motivated to clean and prep your vegetables when you get home from the grocery store. Put on whatever floats your boat, and make it a habit. Then when you hear your soundtrack, you just naturally get going. Lately the soundtracks to Mama Mia and Glee’s Madonna episode have helped me prep many a salad, and even get out the door for a good walk.

The neural pathways in our brain linking an activity with pleasure become stronger, faster, when they are associated with music. Just like memories are often triggered by hearing a song on the radio. Activities can become automatic and easy when we hear the right tunes.

Cooking a quick meal can be fun with the right music, and so can anything else you need to do but are resisting. I think activating the part of our brain that processes music quiets the part of our brain that tries to talk us out of new habits. We can only process so much at one time, and the music is much more fun.

So now that I have my soundtrack, those changes I’ve been wanting to make are actually happening, and I am on my way to finding my rhythm.

Leave a comment and let us know: What’s your soundtrack for the summer? We can all use a little inspiration.

It seems like every other person I see in the office lately is moving to a gluten-free diet. Either they have stomach trouble that point to a gluten sensitivity (usually along with a few other culprits such as dairy, soy, sugar, and corn), or their thyroid numbers are off. Today I will address the thyroid (don’t I sound all professor-ish).

We don’t know why, but there seems to be a connection with gluten sensitivity and underperforming thyroids. If your thyroid is not performing as it should but your T3 and T4 are within the normal range, or if you have an abnormally high thyroid antibodies or anti-thyroid peroxidase (sounds scarier than it is) on your last lab test, going gluten-free might be for you.

If you have the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as being tired, cold, trouble sleeping, skin irritation, and your hair is falling out, and gluten is the cause, you will feel better within a month or two of going gluten-free. If your antibodies are high, it will take a good six months off the gluten for those numbers to start to drop.

This thyroid issue is becoming more and more common in women over 40. Whether it is perimenopause or just that we don’t even have time to even notice our thyroids during our 20s and 30s, I don’t know. But since it seems to be everywhere, and going gluten-free is tres chic at the moment, I will be starting a series of posts on just this topic. I will cover stuff like:

• How to go gluten-free without gaining weight
• How to go gluten-free without going broke
• How to go gluten-free without your family calling for mutiny
• How to go gluten-free and actually live a normal life
• How going gluten-free will save the world and make your dreams come true

If this topic is interesting to you or someone you know, sign up in the email box or for the RSS feed (I think I got it set up right), and I’ll keep you up to date. Ask any questions you have about this in the comments section or send me an email – other people probably have the same question and they will thank you for taking the time to actually ask.

PS – I got my produce box delivered today and in it were beautiful leeks, asparagus and red-leaf lettuce. The first thing I thought of for dinner was risotto (with leeks and asparagus) and a light salad for dinner. Gluten-free, easy and delicious. And yes, I am getting my two veggies at dinner!

PPS – I just remembered that May is Celiac Awareness Month! Lots of sales on gluten-free stuff at Whole Foods and Bob’s Red Mill. Let me know which brands you like and I’ll share with the group.

I am not a runner, or a swimmer, or a dancer, or anything remotely related to those -ers. Yet, I am fit and it is because of yoga (although I am still waiting for my regular butt to be transformed into a fabulous yoga butt.) Here are the five ways yoga helped me lose weight and keeps me strong:

1. Yoga turns off the “flight or fight” state of my brain, where nutrients and calories are stored for future use; and turns on the “rest and repair” signals, which use those stored nutrients to heal my body, make new necessary cells, and keep things running smoothly. I can’t be pumping fight-or-flight cortisol into your body and do yoga at the same time because I will fall down. So will you.
2. Yoga keeps me in the present moment. Most emotional eating (the main reason many of us gain weight) is the result of worry, or a story I am telling myself about the future or the past. When I stay in the present moment, I realize that everything is actually fine, right now in this moment. And then the anxiety, which was all in my mind anyway, vanishes and I no longer feel the need to numb my anxiety with food. And if I am anywhere other than the present moment when practicing yoga, I will fall down. And so will you.
3. Yoga makes me strong and flexible. The yoga poses, and linking them in a vinyasa sequence (also called Power Yoga) uses my body weight to make me stronger. Yoga also makes me flexible. When I am strong and flexible I move a lot more and ache a lot less. This keeps me busy, burns calories, and distracts me from eating out of boredom, then having to take a nap.
4. When I practice yoga I feel like an athlete. And when I feel like an athlete I act like an athlete. Eating healthy food, getting enough rest, taking my vitamins and fish oil are all things athletes do for themselves. And all of them keep me at a healthy weight.
5. The first lesson of yoga is non-violence, which is pretty much always a good policy. I have not studied much of the spiritual aspects of yoga, but I know this one. And it starts with no violence against myself, physical or mental. The way to become our best selves is through gentle self-talk, kindness to ourselves, and taking small steps each day to get us where we want to go. Those of you who have worked with me personally know that there is no place for violence against the self in my programs.

As I sit here with my computer, writing for this little blog that I love, and glowing with post-yoga peace (oh, lets face it, I am glowing with sweat), I hope that the good I have gotten from yoga will inspire you to give it a try.

There are good beginner videos available from Yoga Journal.com and Gaiam.com. I will put up links on my Favorites page for you, once I figure out how to do that.

Well, I’ve promised recipes that are easy, healthy and especially delicious, and will bring you at least one each week. So this week I am writing about my love for this bean soup. Now, there are a lot of bean soups I like, but this is the one I crave most often. It starts with a base soup, which makes enough for at least two meals, and you can add different things to make each meal its own. That is what makes this soup magical. I SO love having some of this soup in the freezer.

I have adapted this recipe from Lidia Bastianich’s fabulous cookbook, Lidia’s Family Table.

You start with a pound of dried cannellini beans. I order the ones from Rancho Gordo since they are the most delicious I’ve found ( I buy a bunch of beans from them at one time since the shipping is the same and the beans last a while in the pantry). You can also use white kidney beans or nave beans if that’s all you can find – they will taste fine but the texture will not be as creamy.

Soak the beans overnight: check the beans for any stray stones, put in a deep bowl with enough cold water to cover by at least an inch. Add two tablespoons of salt to the water and swish it around to dissolve.

To cook the soup: drain the beans, add to a big, heavy pot (a stockpot type) with about 4 quarts of water. Drop in two bay leaves, a few sprigs of thyme, and a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring the beans to a boil and simmer for an hour with the lid just a little ajar. Stir every now and then to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom.

At this point the soup won’t look very good, but don’t despair. Now add 2 teaspoons of salt, some pepper, and a piece or two of parmesan cheese rind. I keep the rinds in the freezer just for making soup and long-simmered sauces – just wash them off and they go right in the pot, completely edible and delicious. If you don’t have any rinds handy, the soup will still be delicious. Just add more parmesan when serving. Continue to simmer with the lid off, until the beans are creamy and the soup is the texture you like.

When the soup is almost there, make the soffrito. Pour about 1/4 cup olive oil into a skillet over medium-high heat, add six cloves of chopped garlic and 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes (this amount will not make it spicy, just tasty – adjust to your taste). When the garlic is sizzling and fragrant, add a ladle full of the soup broth and let them bubble together in the skillet for a minute or two, then add it all to the soup. The starch from the beans will help emulsify the flavored oil throughout the soup. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then remove the bay leaves and thyme stems.

Now the base is done! At this point I ladle half of the soup into a bowl to cool and then put it in the freezer to save for another day. There are many ways to complete this soup. My favorite is with zuccini, shrimp and spinach. I chop up about 3 zuchinis and simmer with the soup for about 20 minutes, until tender. Then I add two handfulls of baby spinach leaves per person and let that wilt into the soup. At this point turn off the heat, add 1/2 pound of small shrimp (or shrimp cut into bite-size pieces) and let the heat from the soup cook the shrimp. Top with grated parmesan and a little more olive oil, and you have a satisfying meal.

This soup is so good – filling and comforting it just feeds the soul. Some toasted ciabatta bread is great alongside.

Other finishes could be leftover roasted vegetables such as red peppers, onions, eggplant – just add them instead of the zuchini and shrimp and simmer together for a few minutes to warm the vegetables through. You could add some delicious Spring vegetables such as asparagus, peas, and baby carrots. Cook them with the soffrito and then simmer in the soup until tender. Oh, and you can finish with some crispy proscuitto or bacon if you like.

Your imagination is the only limit to this fabulous soup. In fact, I think I’ll put some beans on to soak tonight….

Due to my recent love affair with Trader Joe’s Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips I find myself needing to lose a few pounds. Swimsuit season is coming fast, and here in Southern California there is no escape. I don’t like to think of a “diet” as much as a balance adjustment. I am too short to tip that scale (haha) towards fried corn chips doused in salt. So, sadly, they will have to go away for a while. Here is what will take their place and bring skinny back.

1. Lentil soup: this is my go-to lunch for those times when I don’t have time, energy, or patience to cut a salad. Add a squeeze of lemon juice (a great Greek trick for making things taste fresh), and a handful of baby spinach (tons of nutrients for about 10 calories), and I have a satisfying lunch that won’t add to my thighs.
2. Pepperidge Farm 100 Calorie Milano packs: these are smaller versions of the real deal. They taste good and satisfy my sweet tooth without doing any real damage.
3. Diamond Almonds 100 Calorie Cocoa Almonds: healthy almonds in a cocoa coating – chocolate and nuts without guilt. And they keep me full for a while.
4. Salad with beans: lots of greens, veggies, and beans for protein means I stay full for a small amount of calories. Just rinse canned beans, add about 1/3 – 1/2 cup to the salad, and put the rest in the fridge for the next day. Kidney or black beans for a Mexican salad, canellini beans for an Italian salad, Garbanzo beans for a Greek salad, you get the idea. As many veggies as you can get into the bowl, with beans, and some healthy fat like a vinegarette, a little avocado or feta cheese, and you are good to go.
5. Flax meal: add a tablespoon to your cereal or yogurt in the morning and the fiber will keep you full for an extra hour or two. Keep it in the fridge for freshness. The taste and texture are neutral, you won’t even really know its there until you realize you missed your usual snack time because you forgot.
6. Apple and peanut butter: this seems high-calorie, but it keeps me full for such a long time that it ends up being a bargain. Just 1 Tbs. of peanut butter takes care of a whole apple, and the creaminess makes me feel indulgent.
7. Iced tea: I make the Paradise tea (in the yellow triangle box) and get good flavor without any of the sweeteners or junk that’s in diet soda. Along with a little shot of caffeine to keep me going. Not after 3pm, though – getting enough sleep is essential to taking weight off.

Well, there you go. Some of my tried-and-true secrets for staying out of my fat pants. I’ll fill you in on even more as we get closer to summer. Oh, and my lazy sauce technique is also a secret (well, not anymore) weapon – a satisfying meal made mostly of veggies. See the post for details.

What are your secret weapons? Want more of this? Let me know and I am happy to divulge more tricks of the trade.