What's in my bag? Nutrition edition

I am weirdly obsessed with what people have in things. What’s in their fridge, what’s in their shopping cart and Us Weekly’s “what’s in my bag”. It has nothing to do with wanting to critique. As I said in The Little Book of Thin, the fridge is the new medicine cabinet and I can’t help myself from wanting to snoop. Even if I don’t know who person is or don’t especially like the person the mint or makeup they swear by is interesting to me. And of course if someone has a Foodtrainers-approved snack or product they’re immediately on my “like list”.

US Weekly isn’t calling any time soon so in case you’re wondering (and I realize you may not be) here’s what I have.

In my Matt and Nat cork bag: I love these bags out of Montreal which are sustainable and ecofriendly with liners made out of plastic bottles.

1. Foodtrainers’ Nutcase  always have a nutcase with me as this is my snack most afternoons. I'm currently loving SuperSeedz and always on looking for interesting nut mixes or flavors. No more overnutting or hangry afternoons.
2. Swell Water bottle  if I’m carrying a bag it’s huge and there’s plenty of room for a water bottle. I'm loving these bottles from Swell for every one of these wood bottles sold American Forests plants a tree. Plus, these bottles will not open in your purse. Laptops do not need to hydrate.
3. Vitamin case- I always fill a case with my “pills” du jour. Lately my every day vitamins have been saffron, evening primrose and Coq10.
4. Teabags- I’ll generally take something with caffeine like a puEhr or Runa and something herbal. Pukka makes the best teas.  
5. Fitbit Charger- I panic when my fitbit battery is low. If this charger isn’t connected to my laptop is always in my bag.  
6. 21 drops- roll on fragrance is fantastic. We discovered the aromatherapy from 21 drops. MY favorite is Abstain, I love the spicy scent and let’s face it- worth a try when the dessert menu arrives. 
7. Mykitch hair ties- there are always a few of these floating around my purse. When you have “fine” hair like I do the last think you want is a hairband ripping out precious strands. I run in the headbands too. 
8. Lanyard- my younger son makes these keychains every summer at camp. This year he had me pick my colors on visiting day. This makes me happy whenever I see it in my bag. Who knows, maybe making lanyards is the next cure of evening snacking?
9.  Ilia lip gloss- most women have their go to shade of lipstick or gloss. The Butterfly and I from Ilia is mine.  Aside from the versatile color, the ingredients are all safe and high quality. It’s not just what we put in our bodies…
10. Woowoo bamboo-I’m anti gum and try not to mint too often. Yes, I carry a toothbrush in my makeup case. These from woo woo bamboo are great. You can see this one is used (ick but true).

So these are my top 10 purse staples. I left out the laptop, Ipad, phone, cork (of course) notebook etc. because a) I didn’t want my photo to look messy and b) I tried to stick to food or wellness items. So I cheated, I didn’t do the bag dump but you know what? I’m guessing  the ladies in Us Weekly don't either.

So now it's your turn, what do you always have in your bag? Any of items on my list you're curious about? Are you going to try making lanyards?

Top Ten Tips For Your Healthiest Mother's Day Ever

Motherhood is great, I can get sappy and say it’s a gift (which it absolutely) is but it’s gift that comes with its own unique challenges. With a little planning (I mean who’s better at planning than moms?) we can put those difficulties to bed. Try these 10 tips  for your healthiest Mother’s Day yet.

1. Pick Free Week- many of my “mom” clients say they don’t eat chicken fingers or candy or mac and cheese and truth be told they don’t really eat a full portion of them. However, the few French fries and cookie bites add up. For one full week, skip the kid picks. It will be both eye opening and slimming.

2. Try Turmeric- are you familiar with turmeric? It’s the yellow spice (a component in curry powder) you may very well have in your spice cabinet. Well take it out and sprinkle it on eggs or veggies or grains. It’s a very powerful mood booster, has strong anti cancer properties and is anti-inflammatory too.

3. Skinny Starts Sunday- use an hour or two on Sunday to make a weekly menu and food shop. I suggest trying 1 new recipe or ingredient per week and planning at least 1 fish or shellfish dinner for the family. Winging it and weight loss (or health) don’t go together.

4. Go for Glass- many moms are aware of BPAs those chemicals lurking in many plastic bottles and kids’ sippy cups. If you think BPA free is the way to go, I’m not convinced what they’re replacing BPAs with in these plastics is any safer. Your best bet for you and the kids are glass water bottles and food containers. If you’re on the fence this class of chemicals found in many plastics are called obeseogens, yup.

5. Play- think of your children as mini personal trainers. When my kids shoot hoops I do too. A client just came in saying “instead of watching my kids play soccer I joined in. They loved that I was playing and I got some added exercise in.” Win, win.

6. Afternoon Ammunition- moms are known to for pack snacks for kids and nothing for themselves. And then if you’re lucky there will be cheddar bunnies to spare. You can do better than bunnies. In every purse, stash a snack. I like nutrition bars by Zing and Health Warrior. You can also wash out an altoid tin, we call this a “nutcase” at Foodtrainers. Fill with hazelnuts or sunflower seeds (both contain a type of fat that legitimately belly slimming)

7. Cooking Crudite- dinnertime can be a doozy. Many clients say they taste and graze so much while they’re cooking that they aren’t hungry for dinner (but still eat). The solution? Set out some cooking crudité- carrots, cucumbers or bell peppers sliced for when you want to munch on something but are conscious about those cooking calories.

8. Be An Early Bird- speaking of cooking and dinner, when to eat is a dilemma for many moms. Do you eat early with the children or wait for your spouse to come home in a couple of hours? Have an early bird dinner which is much better than  a double dinner.

 9. Watch where you work- I wouldn’t pay bills or return emails in the kitchen with the fridge staring at you, it’s too tempting and one stressful email or big bill can send you over the snack edge.

10. Tea is the thin girl’s nightcap- it’s so easy to crave a treat once the kids are asleep. Then one treat turns into two…Instead try nighttime teas. I love one made by Pukka with lavender in it. It’ll save you calories and relax you.

And on that note, a happy and healthy Mother’s Day to all.

You need this for Thanksgiving

As the word has started to spread about LBT, I have had a handful of people mention “I have a book I want to write” or “I started writing something but…” and the truth is although this book is happening, we all have projects and bucket list items some daunting, others annoying that we postpone. In our office, we’ve made lists of “food first aid kit” items for clients to bring on trips. Teas to combat “plane puffies” or fibrous foods to deal with ahem “vacation constipation” but oftentimes I worry whether clients will have time to gather their supplies before departure or if our snacks and supplements will be packed when there is dry cleaning to pick up, transportation to arrange etc.

With serious help from my fellow nutrition nerds we’ve developed our Foodtrainers' Food FirstAid Kit filled with everything you need to make it through Thanksgiving travel (or any other travel) unscathed. I am so excited about these kits as they've been on our project list for way to long. Whether you're traveling by plane or my car, you'll can have your nutcase if it's taking a little to long, a cup of deabloating tea after that holiday meal. From jet lag to leftovers (turkey on a GG cracker perhaps?) we have you covered.

But if you’d rather pack your own you can simply buy the kit I heard from a client who was stuck and used the kit as a clutch when away for work, they’re pretty cute.

I  cannot help you with overbearing relatives but snacks and nutrition “ammunition” that we can do.

And instead of facing the holiday with dread maybe think of a project you’d like to finish, a book you’ve been meaning to read or get started writing that book… Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Do you pack a “Food First Aid Kit”? What do you bring? And any healthy recipes you’re cooking for Thanksgiving?

Five Last Minute Tips to Look Better in a Bathing Suit

Jada may love Will she loves Jada more.

As I mentioned in the water post, Marc and I were away, in Turks and Caicos, for a few days.  I could tell you about the sailing we did (I was reading Gone Girl which I wouldn’t suggest for a romantic getaway) or how excited I was that the local restaurant we went to noted gluten free on the menu or even the best crab salad I’ve ever had.

I would choose this over a bikini any day

However, two other things continue to stand out in my mind. On our first afternoon at the beach, just after we arrived, I saw an Italian family standing by the water. You couldn’t help but notice them. First the mother (50ish) was taking photos of her two 20-something daughters. The daughters posed like they were in the SI swimsuit issue; the bikini-ed mother posed as she clicked away. Then papa comes to take pictures of his annoying gorgeous family. Marc, watching this whole photo shoot with me said, “I should ask if they want me to take a picture of the four of them.” I told him I’d kill him if he gave them any more attention, we laughed.

We soon took a little sailboat out. As we were hopping in the boat, two women were getting out of another. These women were at least 15 years older than me. They weren’t physically perfect like the Italians. They had lumps and bumps but were seemingly unaware.  I am always drawn to this question of body confidence. See, I am of another persuasion. I love a good cover up (and love to cover up), when I’m on the beach in a bathing suit, I’m aware I’m basically naked and I’m happiest under an umbrella with a good book (kindle people, it’s hard to read kindles on the beach) taking it all in. There will be no attention-grabbing Slayton photo shoots. I would bet I’m not alone and if you need a little beach day encouragement here are some ideas:

Run- I like a good sweat before a beach day. Most of the time I go for an hour-long run. Part of me likes to move before planting myself in a lounge chair. More than anything, it feels good before sporting a swimsuit.

Tan and lube- I tweeted  “nothing like a BB (before bikini) workout” and a fellow nutritionist said “yes and a spray tan too”.  It’s true; tanning is a great camouflager and does make you look slimmer.  I worry about the safety of spray tans. There are organic options (there’s a place called O’live organic in NYC) but I stick to self-tanner. Look for a paraben free self tanner. I love Chocolate Sun.  As much as I love my Coola mineral sunscreen, I don’t love the white matte finish it leaves on my skin. I follow it up with a little oil.

Drink- while I’m sure a shot of tequila would eradicate any swimsuit hesitancy, I’m not a day drinker. Instead, Eboost and Pukka detox tea are my pre-beach beverages. Did you know that teabags don’t need hot water? Any water works. I was so thrilled the hotel gym had Eboost.

Pursue Potassium- we’re early beach goers, we get to the beach before it gets crowded and generally leave to do other things around lunchtime. Each morning away we’d pass people chowing down at the outdoor restaurant. Who can eat a buffet breakfast and then slip into a swimsuit? Oh yes, the Italians or the sailing ladies. Why not?  If you’re two-piece terrified, potassium is your pal. Potassium in your diet decreases sodium levels. Less sodium? Less puffy. Some ideas:

Eggs and Asparagus

Goat Yogurt (Coach Farms makes, easier to digest than dairy)

Fruits such as cantaloupe, citrus and my favorite avocado.

And let’s not forget the potassium power of coconut water.

Practice- my numero uno beach tip of all time was to change into a swimsuit when you get home from work for a week before a beach vacation. Clients loved this and emailed that they were making dinner, working on the computer and cleaning the house in their bikinis. Seriously though, part of the whole bathing suit thing if you didn’t grow up on the beach is just comfort. It’s also important to try on suits before you leave for a trip. What worked last summer, for various reasons, may not be doing you any favors this year. You don’t want your cup (or your “saucer” for that matter) to “runneth” over.  And a stretched out too-loose get-up isn’t helping your cause. And our causes, no matter how big or how small, need help.
Are you more like the Italians or a cover upper? What do you do to psyche yourself up for the beach? Any last minute tricks? Have you read Gone Girl or anything else good?

And the winner of the Mountain Valley Spring water is Nancy, congratulations.

Special Teas and Tips

This photo doesn't have that much to do with this post

I am a little bit of a tea freak. Purists swear by loose-leaf tea but more often than not I use tea bags. I have a huge selection of teas at home, in my office and keep a few bags in my purse at all times. I'll even violate my “don’t eat anything offered by an airline” rule for hot water for  tea hough the nasty Styrofoam cup ruins my tea experience. A great article in Slate  “how to make a decent cup of tea”, posted on Facebook by acupuncturist extraordinaire Jill Blakeway, made me think more about the details of my tea preparation.

It suggested:

• Tea is best in cylindrical cups rather than short, wide-mouthed options.
• The article also discusses a topic debated by John Lennon and Yoko and sides with tea bag first then water.

Some of my tea tips:

• Toss tea after six months, not to worry you're not the only one with tea older than your children, as the flavor and antioxidant level decreases significantly
• Fresh brewed is always best, there are 20 times more antioxidants in brewed versus bottled teas (applies more to iced tea).
• Preparation is different for different teas. Green teas and white teas need only a couple of minutes, ½ the steeping time of black and herbal teas.

Some of my current favorite teas (click on images for links) are:

Green and oolong tea have mild metabolic boosting effects, white tea is great for immunity and rooibos tea is beneficial for certain skin conditions including eczema. After dinner, a delicious cup of tea and a good book is the perfect ending to the day.

Are you a tea freak? What are your current favorites? Tea or water in the cup first?