There's something about mayo

 I love mayo. I love tuna salad and egg salad and of course lobster salad (but even borderline mayo folks like lobster salad). I know there are people who shun anything creamy or mushy  but I say 'bring it". Mayo is one of those foods I feel I shouldn’t love as much as I do but I can't help it.  Of course we have Hellman’s “real” mayo in our fridge but I can’t completely ignore mayo’s truth.  It contains EDTA (pretty much poison), soybean oil- soy is sort of GMO’s mvp and don’t get me started on Unileaver who owns Hellman’s.  Oy, not so "real" after all.

So I’ve found a mayo substitute I really like (and usually I don’t like any sort of food substitute) Avocado Mayo (avocado oil, eggs, vinegar and salt). One of my favorite easy lunches is 2 hard-boiled eggs (I make these 6 at a time and usually have on hand) mashed with avocado mayo over greens. In this photo I used my boys’ fave pea shoots. The egg salad is satisfying and feels a little indulgent. And this is a mayo that’s ok to love.
Are you a closet (or open) mayo fan? Have you tried Avocado Mayo? What are your favorite, easy lunches?

Eat these foods to keep eating in check Memorial Day weekend

Me/laptop and bulletin board (why crop)

 Thank goodness there’s a shift away from tiresome calorie counting. If you counted the calories in your breakfast, step away from My Fitness Pal. it’s not a real pal. Instead, think about the quality of your food. What your food to do for you (as always it’s all about you). Do you need more energy? Maybe some “GI” assistance, I discussed a reliable remedy for that in Tuesday. Or are you hungry all the time? Do you you overeat? Often want something more after a meal?  I hear you.

Last week, I sat down with CBS at the beautiful, new Madison Square location for Dig Inn. The topic? Foods that cut your cravings, at Foodtrainers we dubbed these foods Full Foods.

Here are five foods to keep you satisfied longer:

1. Yogurt- yogurt is a fermented or probiotic food. Greek yogurt or Siggi’s Skyr is also higher in protein. Fermented foods improve appetite signals to the brain (shortens that lag between eating and realizing you ate) and protein at breakfast results in eating less later in the day.
2. Raspberries- every food group has a hierarchy. For fullness, raspberries are on top. They are the highest fiber fruit, 8 grams per cup, and they’re also in season (if you’ve read Little Book of Thin you know that I warn about overfruiting so stick to that cup of raspberries). And I’m not lying when I say some (favorite) clients reported rereading LBT as a refresher. Swear. Try it while you eat your raspberries.
3. Avocado- full disclosure the avocado people are involved in these avo-studies I reference but I don’t care. Half an avocado at lunch reduces snacking later in the day and makes lunch worthwhile. So long snack monster. And potassium in avocados is a “delicious debloater”. Pack avocados in your overnight bag, snap a photo if you do. 
4. Eggs- eggs may be the numero uno Full Food even though I’m listing it forth for no reason. Eggs decrease ghrelin (horrible hunger hormone, I always envision Little Shop of Horrors “feed me Seymour feed me all night long”). Boil half a dozen eggs and use them on salads or as snacks.
5. Beans- I said during filming no bean jokes. If you’re worried about “beaniness” at the beach stick to mung beans- the gas free bean. After eating beany meals people reported they were 30% more satisfied than similarly composed bean free entrees. Not legume-inclined? Try these bean pastas I mention in the segment.

Have a great weekend. No need to be hangry (or gorging), got it?

What are your “Full Foods” that satisfy you most? Are these five a part of your diet? Do you calorie count?

Maybe the "drunchies" are to blame.

So we’ve covered what to drink before; you know us Tulanian girls aren’t afraid of a good time and love our Tanteo tequila and Titos (ok and Veev, too) more than the average person. What you drink and how often are crucial variables when it comes to your health and weight, but it’s also what happens to your food after drinking and the next day that can make or break your jean “zippage”.

We’ve all been there (some of us longer ago than others), after a late night and a little too much to drink suddenly those fries don’t sound like such a disaster. Or, maybe you were just out to a boozy dinner and you decide to have a little counter buffet when you get home. 

And guess what? It’s not just willpower, research shows that alcohol stimulates appetite and makes you crave higher fat, salt-filled foods. Not only does hitting the bottle make you more hungry initially, you will only continue to eat more at the meals following (hello hungover brunch or missed workout, nice to see you again).

So a few too many drinks in, and you touch the things (at least it’s not people anymore) you would never touch. What’s a cocktail-appreciating person to do?

At Foodtrainers we suggest a  less than 100-calorie optional “dessert”  after dinner I like to say if you’re drinking, you are drinking your dessert and Kate Hudson agrees. But if late night munchies are going to happen, we need a plan in place.

Choose a late night/lush food prior to imbibing. You want to keep it as light as possible, but if everyone around you is ordering pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches you need to have an option too. My recommendations for clients are usually popcorn, Brussels Bytes, dark chocolate or Matt’sMunchies (how appropriate). Have your snack set aside before going out and a giant cup of water to “soak up” the alcohol. If it’s been a long night, charcoal is worth a try.  And then get to bed.

You know the Grandma saying, nothing good ever happens after 2am, well there’s no place that’s truer than in the kitchen.

As for the next day… no, grease does not help a hangover but you know what does? DRAM Apothecary's hair of the dog drops and Gaia's organic milk thistle. I have been known to order it from Amazon Prime for friends during parties, cuz I’m that much fun.

Egg yolks also have a compound called cysteine that help break down alcohol toxins, so order a veggie omelet (no, bacon egg and cheeses do not count). Also suggested is to either sweat it out or sleep it off.

In an ideal world, you’re not having more than 1-2 drinks in a night… and the older I get the more I realize even that can make you hungover. But party and then post party “nosh” responsibly.

(Today's post by the younger Tulanian/Carolyn)

Do you get the drunk-munchies or drunchies? What do you find helps?