King of Greens: Spinach versus Kale

I recently spoke with The Daily Burn about a great topic (or great to me): which is better for you, spinach or kale? I gave them my two cents (and they printed one cent tops) so here is my complete take on this:

Greens, greens why are they so friggin' great?

Leafy greens are also a great source of magnesium (I call it “mag”) and chances are you need more mag. Mag is important for restful sleep, heart health, PMS/hormonal stuff, migraine prevention, and ahem “going”. Plus, vitamin C in leafy greens is as good as any anti-aging cream (great for skin) and the fiber in leafy greens helps lower cholesterol levels.

*The fiber in kale is even more effective when kale is steamed versus raw.

So you’re convinced, let’s talk about how much

The average person, even the average healthy person, should probably eat more greens. Many people know leafy greens are healthy but don’t consume them in quantity- so bulk up! We suggest Foodtrainers’ clients thave at least two cups of veggies, twice a day and at least 2 of those 4 cups should be leafy greens.

Is kale the king of greens?

In the head to head matchup of kale versus spinach, kale has almost three times the vitamin C as spinach and more vitamin K (important for bone health and blood clotting).

However, spinach wins in B6 (double that of kale), fiber, iron, magnesium and protein. And it’s not just by a small margin- spinach has 5x the iron over 6x the magnesium, and more than double the amount of protein found in kale. Popeye may have been onto something. If forced to choose I’d say spinach for the win. Having said that if you OD on one food you're probably missing another so the moral of this story is theres more than one green in the sea (or ground) and in nutrition as in life- don't believe the hype.

 Does my verdict surprise you? Are you team spinach, team kale or bi-vegetable?

Does binge watching prevent bingeing?

email stated "already getting family resistance but trying"

By now you’ve probably heard of our “tweet it don’t eat it” hash tag (#TIDEI).  If you are on twitter, tweet to me (@Foodtrainers) or Carolyn (@onesmartbrownie) or to both of us.  Any time you find yourself eye to eye with a food you’d like to avoid, tweet to us “my coworker brought in Christmas cookies they don't look worth it #TIDEI. We’ll fire back encouragement as soon as we see it. The secret is that just sending that tweet usually helps you bypass the food threat.

Recently, I received an SOS #TIDEI message:

@Foodtrainers using my might to stay out of the kitchen after dinner #TIDEI

My reply:

Keep that kitchen closed! Love the #TIDEI, let me know how it goes

And then:

@Foodtrainers I forced myself into a Netflix binge, I even put dishes on hold to avoid the kitchen.

 Me:

Ooh, does @Netflix save calories?

Generally TV isn’t great for your eating. We tend to eat mindlessly in front of the TV. Have a toddler who will not eat? TV does the trick. For those of us over three, I suggest decoupling TV and food. But what about binge watching? I see it as more than just a distraction. There’s something about binge watching that feels like a “fix” in the same way that after dinner treat train does. Sure, you could say it’s replacing one fix with another…and you’d be right; however, it's a favorable fix and sometimes methadone beats cold turkey. Give it a try, let me know how it goes and if you find yourself vulnerable, you know tweet it don’t eat it or do what a client did and formally close the kitchen.

What do you do when you're tempted after dinner? Do you find binge watching satisfying? Aren't those kitchen doors (above) pretty?

Ready, Set, December (if not "set" we can help)

Food First Aid Kit, must have accessory for the holiday season or always

Yesterday, we sent out our Holiday Helper Newsletter. We covered holiday parties (and strategic pre-gaming), family time/relatives (think omega 3 foods all day long) and holiday travel (see Food First Aid Kit above). After doling out what I thought was good, fun advice,  my first client of the day said "the holidays aren't really a thing for me", hmn noted.

After contemplating and dismissing that our info was cliche',  I concluded that even if the holidays aren't your thing (they're not really my thing) December is generally busy. My calendar has reached that too-full point and it's not parties and "events" that are filling it. It's work and kid stuff (my son thankfully said,  "mom, you don't need to come to the holiday concert at school, I only mouth the words anyway) and tipping the doormen. I'm not looking for sympathy, it's just that cooking and planning and the things I like to use my extra time for are cut down. Can you relate? I bet my client from yesterday cannot. And by the way she has two trips planned this month....

For work, we're knee deep in January and our "Whipping Weeks". I'm trying my best not to race through this month but to enjoy some Christmas music, the pretty city etc. But if you're looking for a January jumpstart, we have recipes and secret weapons are a great food plan in store, email info@foodtrainers.com for whipping info. Cheers.
Are the holidays "a thing" for you? Is December busy as hell? Do you like Christmas music?

Go Foods, Yup- Foods That Help You Go

this wasn't backward (squatty) when we were filming

I'll write about recipes and books another day. Today I have our latest embarrassing Youtube video. I don't even know if it's embarassing because we like tackling touchy topics. And "going" is something we're asked a lot about. Going matters.

I know more about nutrition than taking screenshots .

In this video, we introduce five of our top 10 foods that help "make shit happen" (I can't help myself this is bringing out my inner six year old). For the other five? You have to sign up for our January Whipping Weeks. Spaces still remain. For more information and to start 2016 on track, email info@foodtrainers.net with Whipping Week in the subject line.
What are your go to "go" foods? Any topics you want us to cover?