New Year’s Day is a time when many people vow to make healthy changes in their diets. Reducing sugar intake frequently tops this to-do list. Beginning the process of dietary change with resolve goes a long way toward accomplishing this end. But for long term success, you’ll also need to plan ahead and pool together as many resources as possible. For instance, how are you going to react when you encounter your first, second or fiftieth craving for something sweet? Will you call upon your inner strength or join a support group to get you through? These are options that work well for some people. Another way to go is to opt for a similar type of treat that adheres to your new nutritional guidelines. In my experience, a combination of these and other strategies usually works best. Read more »

When you’re on a gluten-free, low carbohydrate diet you need to be inventive if you hope to have a richly satisfying and varied diet. I follow this type of eating plan because it suits my health better than any other diet I’ve ever tried before. The science supporting the avoidance of gluten, a protein found in many grains, and carbohydrate restriction played a big part in informing my decision. Thankfully, I’ve also created and discovered numerous recipes and products that help make my chosen diet a pleasure instead of a burden.
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The Healthy Fellow test kitchen really lives up to its name. I’m constantly experimenting with different recipes and ways of preparing healthy food. Some of the creations I come up with appear on this site. Others are simply used as part of my personal wellness routine until it occurs to me to post them. Of late, the medical literature has yielded a few tantalizing new studies pertaining to the health attributes of dark chocolate. As it happens, I’m currently in the midst of a hot cocoa revival at home. On more days than not, there’s been a wintry chill in the air and a steaming mug of hot chocolate right by my side.
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Brussels sprouts. You either love them or hate them. My goal today is to provide support to those who already enjoy them and change the minds of the many who don’t. My reason is simple: eating more vegetables from the Brassica family, which includes bok choi, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and mustard greens, can assist you in achieving many health goals. How they do so is no mystery. Simply put, they yield a broad array of potent nutrients and phytochemicals that are often lacking in modern diets.
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Cream of asparagus soup is one of my favorite cool weather comfort foods. However, I make it in a slightly different way than most. You can’t tell by its appearance and maybe even the taste, but my version of this delicacy is completely dairy free. You might guess that I replace the cream or whole milk with soy milk. Wrong. Instead, I use the taste and texture of raw cashews to mimic the richness of cream while, at the same time, improving the overall nutritional composition of the end product.
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I always try to find new and inventive ways to improve the health of those I love. I keep this objective in mind whenever I scour the medical journals or surf the information superhighway. But, in all honesty, I have an even more specific agenda – to discover delicious, pleasurable and/or simple ways of promoting wellness in my family and friends. I simply despise having to tell them that they need to make difficult changes in order to achieve better health. Sometimes this an unavoidable fact of life. However, if there is any way for me to offer a kinder, gentler alternative that’s precisely what I’ll do.
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As you may know by now, I rely on events in my life to help inspire the columns that I write on this site. I was recently asked about an apparent paradox relating to dark chocolate. A client asked me how cocoa could possibly be heart healthy when it contains natural stimulants such as theobromine. “Won’t that cause my blood pressure to rise?”. Today I’ll address that question and the larger issue of cardiovascular health and cocoa. I’ll also include a supremely simple recipe that I sometimes use to satisfy my dark chocolate fix.
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Chronic constipation is estimated to affect approximately 1 in 6 adults living in the US. It’s even more prevalent in senior citizens. Dehydration, inadequate nutrition, lack of physical activity and medication side-effects all contribute to the problem. Many imperfect solutions abound including fiber supplements, laxatives and stool softeners. But in my opinion that’s putting the horse before the cart. The first thing that should be addressed in instances of recurrent constipation is diet. However, it might surprise you to know that just adding whole grains to your diet won’t solve much. Grains of any stripe frequently cause adverse digestive and systemic reactions. In my opinion, a better option is to incorporate gentler sources of dietary fiber and healthy fats into your daily routine. (1,2,3)
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I often discuss the concept of complementary medicine wherein one uses an alternative or holistic strategy to improve the efficacy and safety of a conventional treatment. Today’s recipe could be considered a “complementary recipe”. You can add it to a variety of main courses or side dishes to enhance flavor and catapult its health promoting potential. In fact, this an excellent approach to take whenever constructing meals. Start with a nutrient dense menu item, then think about how you can make it even more beneficial by selectively incorporating antioxidant rich dips, marinades and sauces.
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This week’s recipe was a surprise to me, literally. One evening I was writing away in my office and an enticing aroma caught my attention. I thought to myself, “That’s odd. I thought we were having leftovers for dinner”. So, I walk into the kitchen and find Mrs. Healthy Fellow removing a pan from the oven. On it is an armada of stuffed mushrooms. Immediately, there’s a conflict going on in my head. Part of me thinks, “Ugh. Mushrooms!”. But my senses and stomach are singing a different tune. Whatever this creation was smelled absolutely fantastic. Could this be, at long last, the mushroom dish that converts me from a a mushroom-avoider to a mushroom-lover?
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By now, most health conscious consumers understand that eating potato chips regularly does not contribute to long term wellness. This truism even extends to cleverly marketed brands that feature alluring package claims such as, “All Natural!”; “Baked, Not Fried!”; “Featuring Organic Potatoes!” and “Now With Sea Salt!”. The intrinsic problems with potato chips still remain even if the finest ingredients are used. First and foremost, potatoes are high-glycemic vegetables which can cause harmful fluctuations in blood sugar. The baking and/or frying process is also part of the problem. It generates a carcinogenic chemical compound known as acrylamide. But the desire for something crunchy and salty to snack on runs deep in people throughout the world. What to do? Perhaps it’s time to think outside of the box and consider something entirely different, but equally delicious: seaweed. That’s right – seaweed.
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When I’m not writing content for this site, I’m frequently consulting with individual clients. One of the first things I tell them is that it’s imperative that they’re 100% honest with me. I need to know the unvarnished truth about how they really eat, exercise, manage stress and sleep. If they binge, I need to know. If they starve themselves, that too. Do they abuse caffeine or drugs to compensate for a lack of rest? Is exercise a daily activity or a monthly exception? It’s all pertinent information that I need to factor in when putting together a comprehensive wellness program. One of the most common admissions I hear is, “I don’t like healthy vegetables” or some variation on that theme. My Healthy Monday tip of the week is to transform healthy vegetables into something that you’ll actually crave.
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Custards are an excellent way of combining the decadence of dessert with the nutrition of a healthy snack, provided that you select your ingredients wisely. Whenever reformulating a recipe, the key is to keep nutrient density in the forefront. Naturally, taste is always a factor as well. But this too can be handily addressed by upping the flavor in a dish. As long you evoke the experience of an old classic in a creative manner, you’ll likely satisfy those you’re serving – yourself included.
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