My actual family vacation versus the fantasy, social media version

We all know how a trip presents on social media is starkly different from how it really is. 

Speaking of social media, in my fantasy I'd be the person who disconnects when away, focuses on what’s in front of me and leaves the rest at home.

One day on vacation I went 9am-2pm without social media and it was a challenge. I pretty much posted the whole trip.

In my fantasy, my kids would try every new food with gusto.

In reality, my son almost threw up tasting poké and I think he had fries with everything 

In my fantasy, I'd feel better physically finishing the trip after being away and eating well. 

I did eat well -lots of salad and ceviche but cocktails, not enough water and constant restaurant food makes a bathing suit not as much fun.

In my fantasy, I'd be happy and relaxed while away but truthfully, when I relax, I have anxiety about things I should be doing and I was away with 5 family members.

In my fantasy, 3 generations away sounded like a dream. The truth is managing expectations of people ages 13-83 is kind of a nightmare. 

Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and explore. I love the things that go wrong (um NEVER go to a luau) as much as things that take your breath away (helicopters, who knew?) but I wanted to assure you that life isn't all margaritas and beaches- as great as that would be...but it's still damn good.

Has Barbara Streisand gained the "Trump 20"?

Impossible to find an inelegant photo of Streisand eating, I tried.

 “Donald Trump made me gain weight.” This was tweeted by Babs (and I read it in the Post so it must be true). She also mentioned pancakes after the morning news and more pancakes when Trump accused Obama of tapping his phones. I know Foodtrainers is smack in the center of Democity but what the Post referred to as “POTUS belly” we’ve started calling the Trump 20 (most of our clients haven’t hit 20 pounds but we still have 1411 days left according to this killer calendar). Typically, people are affected by stressors and emotions in their lives and these vary from person to person. Not since 9/11 have I seen much of my client base experiencing this widespread malaise.

One client, who I hadn’t seen in some time emailed, “So I've just been dealing with PTSD (Post Trump Stress Disorder) with bread and chocolate. This does not help the resistance!” No, it doesn’t. An yes, all Foodtrainees are this smart and funny. Especially when things feel shitting we don’t need another reason to be unhappy. So, I have an idea. Let’s have a look at Trump’s favorite foods:

Chips-specifically Lays, fried and processed like…

Diet Coke-fake and bad for you

Angus beef- always grain fed not grass fed, in other words not what the cows should be eating

Cookies-he likes Oreos- note, there’s black and white in the cookie but no sign of Mexicans.

Maybe, the Resistance Diet is shunning Trump’s foods. No chips (pita chips are chips), soda, non grass fed beef or cookies. Carolyn says our sales of Natural Calm are way up, I suggest double dosing. Cheers!

And I realize there could be a blog reader or two who voted for Donald, I still love you. Just think, you have one fewer reason to gain weight. 

Seven Non-Sweet, Satisfying Snacks

This is a guest post from Stephanie Black. Steph has worked with Foodtrainers in many capacities, most recently as a researcher for my alleged second book. You can find Steph on Insta and twitter @stephgetsfood.

February, the month of heart shaped candy — oops, I mean the month of love — has come to an end. I am a chocolaholic to my core (“Chocolate” was my Bat Mitzvah theme…), but even I am ready to take a break from sweets. Speaking of “breaks,” Spring Break is around the corner, making this the ideal time to start cutting back on sugar. With that said, here are seven non-sweet yet satisfying snacks that this chocolaholic swears by.

1.    Cottage Cheese with Sriracha: During my dietetic internship, a fellow intern told me about this combo. I was skeptical at first, but now it is my absolute favorite snack. For extra health points, opt for Good Culture probiotic cottage cheese

2.    Simple Mills Crackers: these flavorful crackers need no partner/topping. They’re made from almond flour so it’s a crunchy snack with staying power (not easy to find). Just make sure to portion out your serving ahead of time to avoid over-crackering. And these can be purchased online from the Foodtrainers' shop.

3.    Epic Jerky: Between their bars and bites, this jerky brand is one of the few that I trust to taste great without converting my body into the Dead Sea. Honorable mention to VT Smoke and Cure and New Primal jerkys.

4.    Snack Pizza: These fiber-filled crispbreads serve as the perfect vehicle for any healthy topping. Foodtrainers’ current favorite is combining organic string cheese and Applegate pepperoni for a snack pizza-yes! Check out this post from Carolyn for some more Orgran inspo.  

5.    Creative crudité-it’s a good idea to have a container of cut veggies on hand at all times. To spice up your veggie snack, cut up jicama and top with a squeeze of lime and pinch of cayenne. OR buy a bottle of this (a great way to spice up margaritas too…Lauren added that, I am trying to stick to the subject!). 

6.   Pickles If you’re not already on the fermented food train, hop on board. Be sure to choose pickles that are fermented (not all pickles are). We’re fans of Bubbies brand but there’s a whole world of fermented veggies it’s hard not to find at least one kind you’ll love. 

7.    Bean dip move over hummus, have you seen the Go-Dip snack packs? These, no sugar added, gluten free, kosher, vegan (yes!) beauties are super flavorful bean dips with puffed nori chips. These are great for travel, post workout or any time really.

Stay calm, and non-Sweet snack on.

What are your favorite, non-sweet snacks?

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)?

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?

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.