Tag: healthy eating

Categories
Featured Health Nutrition

Three Healthy Picks To Feed Your Body After Thanksgiving

With all this talk about Thanksgiving; turkey, gravy, pies, we’re already dreading fitting into our jeans next Monday. While a few days of enjoying yourself and eating a little more than usual won’t make you gain weight, being mindful and listening to your body never hurt anyone.

Don’t let the Thanksgiving days stress you out though. Remember it’s not what you eat between Thanksgiving and Christmas that shows on your weight, rather the way you eat the other 11 months of the year.

There are plenty of healthy, nutritious and easy options out there. And if you’re anything like me, eating heavy for a few days just makes my body tired and make me crave crunchy veggies and fresh juices. Don’t get into the bad habit of overeating and then restricting, rather listen to your body. If you’re feeling a little sluggish after the break, here are some of the things I’m planning on feeding my body once it starts begging for a few more nutrients.

 

ZÜPA NOMA

These soups might just be a daily life saver. They are easy to grab and go, pack a punch of nutrients and they taste great. Their latest fall flavor, Pumpkin Cinnamon Sage might singlehandedly have gotten me to graciously wave goodbye to summer and welcome fall in all its glory. Well, that and Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes, to be fair. ZÜPA NOMA comes in eight different flavors; six classic flavors made with everything from beets to cucumber and avocado, and then the two seasonal flavors — Pumpkin Cinnamon Sage and Cauliflower Cashew — so there’s plenty to rotate. They’ll keep you comfortably full and with ingredients like sage, apple cider vinegar, and turmeric, they’re great for your whole body – inside out.

 

Pressed Juicery

Whether you embark on a full-on cleanse or simply add a juice to your diet every now and then, Pressed Juicery is worth checking out. They’re easy to get your hands on, as Pressed Juicery have multiple locations throughout New York City and come with a vast range of juices. Even one that contains coffee, and for a coffee lover like me, that’s a sure way to get me interested. The options range from greens with such ingredients as celery, cucumber and romaine to more fruity picks like one with strawberry, apple and lime. Juices are a great way to give your body a shot of vitamins, and their latest and greatest is the Golden Milk — almond milk with turmeric and cinnamon — and its nutrients, antioxidants and warm flavors will help you prepare for these colder months.

 

Power Up Snacks

4 o’clock hits and we all know what that means, our inner snack monsters come knocking. And even though we try eating them off with an apple, sometimes it wants more. Whispering about cookies. Or chocolate. Or is that just mine? Gourmet Nut‘s Power Up Snacks is a great healthier snack to keep in your desk drawer at the office, or divide into little baggies at home and bring with you on the go. The 100% all natural trail mixes come in flavor varieties such as Goji Power or Body Boosting Antioxidant Mix and are great on their own or sprinkled on smoothies and yogurt.

Categories
Business Real Estate

Sky offers city’s first tenants-only room service

Sky’s LifeCafe / Photo: The Moinian Group

 

Photo: Tim Waltman for Evan Joseph Images

Last week, The Moinian Group announced that Sky — New York City’s most luxurious rental building and the country’s largest in a single tower — is the only residential building in the city to offer room delivery service exclusively for tenants. Residents can order healthy food, nutritious drinks and alcoholic beverages to their units via the tenants-only “Life Time Health” mobile app, which offers quick delivery services from the building’s in-house LifeCafe.

The Moinian Group is the first real estate development company in New York City to answer renters’ demand for healthier and faster food delivery via their innovative room service offering. “We provide residents with a five-star amenity that other buildings have yet to offer their tenants,” said Mitchell Moinian, SVP of The Moinian Group. “The primary advantage of this service is that it allows tenants the ease, privacy and convenience of ordering within Sky, an advantage they don’t have if they order takeout from a restaurant.”

Natasha Vardi, SVP of Residential Properties at The Moinian Group, added: “Tenants are pleasantly surprised when they encounter this service because it is so unique and unusual for a residential building to provide. Typically, people order from a local restaurant and hope that it comes within a reasonable span of time.” But with the mobile app, Sky guarantees delivery from its LifeCafe in about 20 minutes. “In New York, such a short delivery time is unheard of,” noted Vardi.

The healthy food delivery options include breakfast, lunch and dinner options like salads and sandwiches. Tenants can also order delicious fruit smoothies, shakes, wine and beer.

Categories
Dining Health

FAWEN’s Fabio Fossati & Amanda Bowen on their delicious, healthy & ready-to-drink soups

Fawen-4_press72

Soup is generally associated with colder weather, whether it’s chicken noodle soup to eliminate your cold or some chowder to warm up and get comfortable. But FAWEN is out to change that with its healthy, drinkable soups. The New York-based brand — which launched in our market on Oct. 14 — currently offers three flavors: Beet & Cabbage, Broccoli & Cauliflower, and Sweet Potato & Red Lentil. All three of FAWEN’s offerings are organic, vegan, and ready-to-drink, beyond coming in colorful, fully-recyclable packaging.

Downtown caught up with Fabio Fossati and Amanda Bowen from FAWEN for some Q&A. Like their company, Fabio and Amanda live healthy and clean while aiming to give back. More on FAWEN can be found at www.fawensoup.com.

Amanda Bowen & Fabio Fossati of FAWEN
FAWEN’s Amanda Bowen & Fabio Fossati

Where did the idea for ready-to-drink soups come from?

Fabio Fossati: The FAWEN recipes were created by Amanda in her kitchen. We got the idea to create a ready-to-drink soup collection after Amanda decided to enjoy one of her soup recipes straight from the refrigerator one day. She loved that it tasted so refreshing served cold, and couldn’t drink it fast enough. We realized that bottling her healthy recipes would be a great way to offer people a delicious, and convenient power snack that they could enjoy straight off the shelf.

Amanda Bowen: Packed with pure plant energy and whole-food fiber, FAWEN drinkable soups provide extraordinary nutrition derived from organic and vegan superfoods like beets, purple cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and sweet potato. On average, FAWEN contains 73% less sugar per serving than competing products such as cold-press vegetable juices and fruit and vegetable blended smoothies. It’s the perfect snack to refuel in between meals or after a workout. The product is available nationally online at www.fawensoup.com.

How long do the soups keep for? Do they need to be refrigerated?

FF: FAWEN does not need to be refrigerated if unopened. Our state of the art packaging technology keeps the soup fresh for up to six months. We do not use any preservatives or additives.

The tetrapaks are very colorful. Who produced the artwork for them?

AB: We worked with the amazing creative team at Franklin 11 to develop our branding, including the artwork for the tetrapaks.

What is your favorite kind of soup?

FF: FAWEN, of course!

Screen Shot 2016-10-28 at 9.32.21 AM

Which is your favorite of the FAWEN flavors?

FF: If we had to pick a favorite, it would be FAWEN Broccoli and Cauliflower with Turmeric — it was the first recipe Amanda created, so perhaps we have a special attachment to this flavor.

Prior to launching this product line, where was your favorite soup spot?

AB: I’ve always been passionate about cooking and experimenting with healthy foods and creating my own recipes that are not only delicious, but offer maximum nutrition and healing benefits. So my favorite “soup place” was always my own kitchen.

FF: I grew in my family’s food business, and have an appreciation for cooking at home. Amanda’s soup are so delicious and different than anything I can find when I go out, so her creations will always fall at the top of my list of favorites!

Do you have plans for additional soup flavors?

AB: Yes, we do! Right now, we’re just excited about launching the first three FAWEN flavors. We’ll look forward to sharing news with you in the future.

What are you hoping to accomplish with the brand? Are there plans to make anything besides soup in the future?

FF: FAWEN is about enjoying life and being kind to our planet. From choosing whole, organic vegetables, to simple cooking that keeps FAWEN fresh without the need for artificial additives or preservatives, to the eco-friendly recyclable packaging, our goal is to do good for ourselves, each other, and the planet. It’s that simple! As far as our future plans, we are going to be focusing on soup for now, but are definitely planning to expand the collection with new flavors!

Screen Shot 2016-10-28 at 9.32.51 AM

You two are New Yorkers. Is the soup also produced in New York?

AB: Our soups are produced in California. Our ingredients are picked from organic farm in California at the peak of seasonal harvest, and bottled within 24 hours to maintain the utmost freshness.

When not busy with FAWEN, how do you like to spend your free time?

AB: We love to enjoy the outdoors, taking walks and hikes and weekend roadtrips, and spending time with our dogs, Oscar and Scout.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

FF: There are so many amazing restaurants in New York. We love trying new restaurants allover the city. Two of our favorites are Diner in Brooklyn and Angelica Kitchen.

Are there any upcoming concerts or events that you’re looking forward to attending this Fall?

AB: I’m attending two upcoming fitness events: Self’s Up and Out Studios and WellandGood’s Annual Fitness Biathalon.

Any last words for the kids?

AB: FAWEN is a perfect, healthy snack for children. Kids love it!

Fawen-13-11_press72

Categories
Health Nutrition

How to Make The Most of A Mid Day Snack Attack

Hummus-1

The word “snacking” can often evoke the image of someone sitting on the couch mindlessly chomping away on a bowl of chips. But when done the right way, healthy snacking can actually help you lose weight, control cravings and keep you focused on your daily healthy eating plan.

Before we get to the list of my favorite mid-day snacks, here are a few snacking basics to remember:

1) Incorporate as many veggies as possible! The high fiber content will help keep you feeling fuller longer since veggies are really low in calories but extremely high in nutrients. What this means is that you can consume a high volume of this type of food and it will only put a small dent in your daily total calorie count. That’s a win-win if you ask me!

2) Choose only snacks where you have control of the portion size and avoid foods that cause you to over eat. A handful of nuts are a great snack! But keeping a bottomless tin of this salty goodness on your desk can quickly lead to 1000’s of calories consumed before you are even close to feeling full. You can still have them, just use these foods as a topping or condiment and not for the actual snack itself.

3) Portion control is key! Having a snack around 3pm will stabilize blood sugar and energy levels, keep your mind sharp, and will also prevent potential over eating at dinnertime. If you eat the appropriate amount of food at lunch, you should be hungry by 3-4pm. However, if you eat enough at lunch to keep you full until you get home at 7pm…You ate too much. (Or your meal was disproportionately high in bad fats or carbs.)

4) Forget standard American snacks and Cardboard Carbs. “Convenient” vending machine items and those found in cardboard packaging are typically filled with chemicals, processed carbohydrates, fake sugars and tons of salt. Focus on eating mostly real, whole food with minimal packaging so you can keep that metabolism working for you all day long!

5) Remember, “Food is Fuel.” It is not a place to turn when you are anxious, sad or bored. Avoid mindless eating by planning out what you will eat in the morning. Just follow the plan and remove those last minute “will power” based decisions.

I always recommend that my clients bring snacks from home since the quality tends to be better than store bought food purchased “on the go.”

But like most busy New Yorkers often do, if you happen to find yourself running around the city with out a healthy snack on hand, here are some suggestions that can be easily picked up while you are out.

  • Oatmeal with nuts (if you didn’t already eat this for breakfast.)
  • Hummus or salsa and cut veggies (easy to get at a deli or salad bar.)
  • Air popped popcorn with hot sauce
  • Tuna fish, lemon, sliced veggies
  • A salad or a mix of lots of fresh veggies
  • Plain yogurt and fruit
  • Green smoothie
  • Fruit smoothie with a green added (kale or spinach)
  • Small macro bowl (quinoa/barley, steamed veggies, and a protein)
  • Sushi roll with brown rice

Happy snacking everyone!

-Dr. Laura Miranda DPT, MSPT, CSCS*

*Dr. Laura Miranda, DPT, MSPT, CSCS is DOWNTOWN Magazine’s Fitness Editorial Director, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and certified fitness and fat loss expert. She is the founder of Strong Healthy Woman which offers Strong-Healthy-Woman fitness boot camps in lower Manhattan and elite in home training for busy women all over NYC.  Follow her Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Categories
Dining

Best-Selling Author Jo Robinson Five Key Facts About Healthy Salads

eatingonwild

With the popularity of healthy eating at an allt-time high, it’s hard to find a restaurant in America without a side salad on the menu.

Investigative journalist Jo Robinson  has spent the past 15 years scouring research journals for information on how we can restore vital nutrients to our fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy products.

Her newest cookbook, Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health passes on to a healthy-recipe hungry public the best ways to select and preserve produce and enhance their nutritional content.

Each chapter hones in on specific produce groups from corn to avocados with in-depth information of the history of species to the modern day strains you can purchase in your market.  Here are five key facts from her chapter on wild greens:

1. Select purple, red, red-brown or dark green loose leaf varieties. Loose forms of lettuce have more beneficial compounds for the body as compared to pale varieties with  tight forms (Iceberg).

Breeds like Arugula, Radicchio, Endive, Kale, and Spinach will not only make your salad diverse in appearance but nutritionally diverse.  For extra freshness, buy whole heads of lettuce and greens with stems rather than bagged greens that decompose more quickly.

2. Just 10 minutes of preparation preserves flavor and nutrients. Before placing the lettuce in the refrigerator, separate the individual leaves from the full head of lettuce and soak them in cold water for 10 minutes to improve the antioxidant content. The  lettuce releases more antioxidants  as a reflex to the change in temperature. To store, place the greens in a resealable plastic bag pricked with 10 to 20 holes in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.

3. Check your dates: Be sure to check the “use-by” date  and stay clear of signs of an impending expiration date, like yellow or browning spots.

4. Rethink your dressings: Many dressings on the market have ingredients like hydrogenated oils with high sugar content. Extra-virgin olive oil  is beneficial for its own antioxidant properties and will help the body absorb  fat-soluble vitamins within salad greens.

5. Mask bitterness: The most beneficial greens for the body can carry an overbearing bitter taste, so adding fruits like avocados or berries will cut the bitterness and simultaneously provide a counterbalancing sweetness.

For more information, please visit: eatwild.com

–Joseph Amella, Jr.