Thursday, February 23, 2017

Cinnamon on CBS


I'm spice obsessed and talked about cinnamon's super powers with CBS
Cinnamon can reduce your appetite and balance blood sugar levels. It's an immune booster. I was mainlining cinnamon with my family sick last week (I didn't get sick, just sayin). Cinnamon also has beneficial effects on your cholesterol levels. I always advocate food first. Try cinnamon in your coffee, smoothies, as a rub on poultry and meats or in Greek yogurt. My favorite brand is Ilā (pictured below). 

Aim for half a teaspoon per day. And be sure to choose Ceylon cinnamon over cassia cinnamon.  Sure, you can take cinnamon supplements but you'll be missing out on all the deliciousness. 
What's your favorite spice? Do you use cinnamon often (baking doesn't count)?

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Let's talk turmeric (and no it doesn't yellow your teeth)


“I stopped having turmeric, my friend told me it yellows your teeth and she’s Indian”
I would’ve gently dismissed this client’s reasoning if she wasn’t the third to mention turmeric teeth. I  had one of our research elves look into the topic and she concluded: 
I found no reliable research that turmeric yellows teeth. In fact, much of the research regarding turmeric and teeth found that turmeric is very good for teeth!
 One study found turmeric reduced plaque and gingivitis. And there’s a turmeric toothpaste hitting the market as turmeric “not only prevents tooth decay but also decreases halitosis, inflammation and tooth sensitivity”

In case you’re not dental-centric turmeric helps with mood (on par with Prozac), joint pain,
It lowers the risk of brain diseases and heart disease. It slows the growth of cancer cells. With some types of cancer, turmeric prevented cancer from developing (colon cancer).

My favorite way to turmeric is via golden milk, you can find the recipe here 
A lot has changed since I wrote that post in 2014, golden milk is now found on menus. In NYC Blakelane and bluestone both offer it. Whether you include turmeric in your diet or supplement it, be sure pepper is involved as it makes its potency skyrocket.


Any other myths you’d like me to look into?

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

I Noticed Lady Gaga's Belly and Moved On


I missed Lady Gaga’s halftime show live. While I was busy filling my belly at Shaya in New Orleans (heavenly hummus and halloumi), others were tweeting about Gaga’s belly. I didn’t know about the belly or belly commentary until yesterday (the day after). All I had heard was that the show started on the top of the stadium (the only important detail my 14 year old provided).
I pulled up a Youtube video of the halftime show. I don’t know if everyone does this (I would guess many do) but I immediately went into evaluation mode. “Does she sound good?” Or, “is she a good dancer” and of course “how does she look”.  It would be lovely if we watched the show and didn’t feel the need to judge it. However, just as many discussed who won the game, the same goes for the musical performances. I did not dig Luke Bryan’s anthem by the way.
I love Gaga’s music and her message, I’m a fan.  When I saw the belly my first thought that it was nice to see a little pooch on someone in the spotlight. I also thought that perhaps the costume didn’t fit her very well. I have some jeans than dig into my sides and others that cover any bulge or bump. If I were to perform at the Superbowl, I’d choose the flattering ones.
Was this wardrobe choice intentional? The Foodtrainers’ office seems to think so. If you think about how you come down from the roof on a cable, you think about your wardrobe. If it was a “this is me and I was Born This Way” move, I love it. I’m just not so sure any woman would want to have the focus on their belly. 
On the topic of “body shaming”, there was some pretty mean-spirited comments. Nobody can condone that. But I think that pretending we didn't take note of her teeny tummy isn't honest. We can notice the belly and quickly move on to how much ass she kicked.