Happy 11-11-11! n honor of a day that only comes once every 100 years, I’ve chosen 11 foods that will support overall health, vitality, and well-being.

Coconut Oil
Quality fats support healthy cell membranes and coconut oil is rich with lauric acid which is anti-parastic. Also, it contains medium chain triglycerides which help the body burn fat.

Kale
This leafy green powerhouse is rich in minerals, especially magnesium which is a mineral that most people don’t get enough of.

Ghee
Clarified butter is made by separating the lactose and the casein, which means even people with dairy allergies or intolerances can enjoy ghee. It’s lubricating for the intestines and food for the cells.

Eggs
Contrary to the often bad rap eggs get, they are actually supportive of healthy cholesterol levels since they contain lecithin which helps cholesterol move through the blood. The quality is very important, so always choose eggs that are free range or at least organic.

Apples
Many fruits are very sweet and can tweak out your blood sugar levels. Apples carry a heavy fiber load, which means they are absorbed a bit more slowly by your blood sugar.

Green Super Foods
Choose a blend with veggies, fruit, spirulina, blue green algae, etc. These nutrient dense foods cleanse the blood and support overall immunity.

Sauerkraut
This fermented cabbage condiment is swimming in healthy bacteria and enzymes that support digestion and immune health.

Chia Seeds
Chia is a rich source of heart, brain, and cell supporting omega-3 fatty acids. These seeds are also mucilaginous which means that they help heal and soothe your mucus membranes.

Pumpkin seeds
Most plant food don’t contain zinc, so pumpkin seeds are an ideal source for vegetarians.

Raw goat and sheep milk, kefir, cheese, and yogurt
Raw milk is a nourishing source of healthy fat and protein and has the added benefit of being loaded with enzymes and bacteria.

Tahini
Sesame seeds are a rich source of calcium and magnesium and this creamy spread is a rich source of protein for vegetarians and raw foodies.

Grass Fed Beef
Cows that graze on their natural food source, grass, are healthier and even produce CLA, which is a benefical fatty acid for heart health.

As a nutritionist, my clients are constantly sharing health “facts” that they learned from the internet, friends, or TV. With so much information available, sometimes random or outdated statements end up as common knowledge. Often, these “facts” don’t support optimal health and can even be harmful.

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I’m excited to announce that I am now a contributing daily editor for foodista.com. They are in the process of updating their site and once they do I will link my site up so that all of the posts appear here. In the meantime, you can find all of my articles here.

My favorite posts, so far:

1. Ultimate Foodie Gift Guide for Mom – Fun gifts for mom or any foodie in your life.

2. 6 Recipes to Nourish and Inspire on Cinco de Mayo - Even beyond the May 5th celebration these are some seriously nutritious and delicious Mexican recipes.

3. Protein for Breakfast- This is definitely one of my catch-phrases and explains why breakie truly is the most important meal of the day.

4. 10 Brain Boosting Tips- Who couldn’t use a boost in our hectic modern world?

5. 5 Gluten Free Cakes Fit for a Queen – Get your just desserts with these nutrient dense delights.

6. Wheatless Wednesday – I have a dream that Wheatless Wednesday will become as popular as Meatless Monday.

7. Artistic View of GMO – GMO (genetically modified organisms) education is a passion of mine and this artist does an amazing job via video.

8. Real Food is Not Elitist- This is a very important message to get across, and thankfully Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) does an excellent job.

For those of you in the New York area, come and check out my FREE talk on gluten free living, Saturday May14th at the New Understanding street fair in Brooklyn. Here is the full line-up. I will also be giving a talk to parents May 21st at the Brooklyn Junior Leagues Kid’s in the Kitchen event.

PS. Feel free to leave any suggestions (via the comments) for topics that you’d like to see me cover on Foodista.

photo: Mouton

I recently spoke out against GMOs (genetically modified organisms) at a city hall rally in NYC and it was truly inspirational. How many times do we find ourselves complaining about the way things are but not taking any action? I feel that the time for action is NOW. We are hitting many types of global food crises and it’s up to each of us to do something about it! Why are GMO’s bad and why should you care?

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With summer heating up and the kids out of school, it’s the time of year for fun in the sun. Hiking, picnics at the beach, afternoons at the pool. It’s a time of watermelon, frosty cold beverages, barbeques, and lots and lots of sunscreen. It sounds like a fun and it can be, but it can also be a time of extreme toxicity. How?

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When I was growing up there was a genre of people who shopped in health food stores, juiced wheat grass, and ate tofu instead of meat. At the time they were on the fringe of nutrition, yet this vegetarian lifestyle was considered  to be one of the healthiest ways to be. Somehow I found myself at the door of the health food store learning how to prepare tofu. I kept on this path for about 10 years. Like many others I assumed this was the healthiest diet available. Plus I was saving the animals destined to be meat from certain cruelty. Then a funny thing happened, I went to nutrition school. I learned that perhaps being vegetarian was not for everyone and that fake meats are actually highly processed. Perhaps my diet wasn’t serving me as well as it could be. What did I learn that swayed me? Continue Reading »

In my world, holistic health is all around me, from organic restaurants and farmers markets to nature hikes and hot springs. I sometimes forget that many people are not exposed to a healthy lifestyle. This is not surprising considering the constant exposure to pharmaceutical and junk food ads and supermarkets carrying processed food and produce from thousands of miles away. I realize that some basic education would be very helpful. Today, and on an ongoing basis, I will talk about basic yet essential nutrition information based on questions that come up frequently. I’ll start with a question that I’m asked all the time.

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Spring is an ideal time for a cleanse. Winter is a time of holiday binging, sweets, and rich foods. Then spring comes along and says be lighter, so here are many herbs and veggies to help you. Our modern world is packed with countless toxins, including processed food, pesticides, medications, heavy metals, and pollution. It’s a good idea to lighten our total load by using diet, herbs, amino acids, and vitamins to spring clean our system. Continue Reading »

Welcome to my holistic nutrition blog! Here I will discuss everything from whole foods to health articles in the media. There are not enough hours in the day to say all that could be said about holistic healing. I will start with my own health. Continue Reading »