Be Thankful…
The countdown to Thanksgiving is now less than a week! As one of the most highly anticipated meals of the year, it’s good to have a plan to get through the holiday as healthy as possible. Break the cycle of overeating and post-holiday regret with these tips to stay in control.
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It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only one week away! Time really flies, so make sure you are making this next week count, such as eating really clean or getting in some extra exercise time, because before you know it you will be faced with one of the biggest meals of the year. Whether you are preparing to host, bringing a dish or attending dinner in someone else’s home, there are a couple dishes and sides that can be great options for a healthy and yummy holiday. Here are some tips and tricks for making healthy Thanksgiving dishes.
The first recipe is a great substitution. Cauliflower can be cooked and mashed just like mashed potatoes and taste just as delicious. It’s a healthy version of a Thanksgiving staple, and many people at the table might not even notice the difference. It’s a great dish because you won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything and you can feel good about what you’re eating. All it takes is 6-7 cups of cauliflower, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Another simple dish features and great fall vegetable is Brussles sprouts. Brussels sprouts have so many health benefits – they offer extensive detox and digestive support, are packed with antioxidants, and can also help reduce inflammation and cardiovascular problems. If you simply coat them lightly in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, cook them in the oven then toss with walnuts you have a tasty side that you can really feel good about.
This next recipe combines another fall vegetable with a popular grain: Butternut squash and quinoa. While this selection would normally be a main for you on any other day, on Thanksgiving you can take a scoop as a side. This is a delicious, hearty dish that is also packed with mushrooms, carrots and onion. Cook the squash in the oven, the quinoa according to normal instructions, and the rest of the ingredients cook on the stove. When they are combined, you have a sweet and healthy dish that will please anyone at the table.
This last recipe combines a lot of great fall foods in an interesting salad. It includes pumpkin, barley, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, green beans and beats in olive oil and vinegar. It has plenty of nutrients from the variety of ingredients, such as fiber, protein and antioxidants. Each bite is bursting with flavor and will fill you up with healthy foods.
Having some healthy sides up your sleeve can help make smart choices easy so you can relax and enjoy your family and friends. When you’re not worrying about what you’re eating, you can really embrace the holiday.
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
This is the time of year when warm, hearty foods can bring comfort and good feelings in the cold months. You may even associate this time of the year with certain foods, like casseroles during the holidays. You can’t imagine a November without turkey or a December without a special feast. The same can be said for more day-to-day wants and needs that food may fulfill. When you’re stressed do you reach for treats or snacks? When you’re bored do you open the pantry? When you’ve completed a difficult task do you crave your favorite food? Ask yourself – are you living to eat, or eating to live? When you live to eat, you indulge in foods that make you feel comfortable, relieve your stress or boredom, or reward an accomplishment. You eat something because of how you feel emotionally instead of the physical hunger you feel when your body needs fuel. On the other hand, when you eat to live you provide your body with nourishment that fuels and supports your health.
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11730
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It’s hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. The Halloween decorations just came down and now another holiday is already around the corner. This is going to be a very busy time, but you should use these next two weeks to prepare for the four day feast.
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11730
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Now that fall is in full swing there may be things about your daily life and routine have changed since the warmer weather, but one thing that should always stay the same is drinking water consistently throughout the day. In the summertime it is easy to tell when you’re getting dehydrated, and nothing cools you down like a tall glass of ice water. But in the fall and winter months we are less inclined to drink water. It may feel like the last thing you want is something cold to drink, but the effects of dehydration can really take a toll in the colder months. In colder temperatures, your body will focus more on maintaining its core temperature and less on fluid balance. You body won’t alert you when it needs water as often as it should, so you have to take the initiative and stay hydrated.
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11730
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
By now you have probably heard, read or been told to drink warm lemon water as part of your weight loss plan and for a healthy life in general, but do you really know why? Just 12 oz of hot or warm water with lemon each day can offer you a long list of benefits that will keep you body healthy inside and out.
When you think lemon, the first thing that may come to mind is Vitamin C. Lemons are an excellent and rich source of this vitamin that is essential to the body in so many ways. Firstly, Vitamin C is vital to the function of a strong immune system. This nutrient helps protect from deficiencies that can get you sick, and it can help fight off colds, flues and even recurrent ear infections. Vitamin C also neutralizes free radicals as it travels throughout your body. Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons, and in their mission to find another electron they can cause damage to the surrounding molecules in your body. Free radicals can interact with healthy cells of the body, damaging them and their membranes, and can also cause inflammation, or painful swelling, in the body. This is one of the reasons that Vitamin C has been shown to be helpful for reducing the symptoms of some types of arthritis by reducing pain and inflammation in joints and knees. Vitamin C helps with maintenance of healthy bones, connective tissue and cartilage. Free radicals can damage blood vessels and can change cholesterol to make it more likely to build up artery walls, which is why Vitamin C can be helpful in preventing the development and progression of diabetic heart disease and atherosclerosis (a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries).
Lemons offer not only a high level of vitamin C, but is also a great source of nutrients like citric acid, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Citric acid is an antioxidant that plays a role in fighting free radicals. It also helps prevent the build up of mineral compounds that can cause kidney stones. Potassium helps nourish brain and nerve cells, and also helps control blood pressure.
You will also get digestive benefits from lemons. They stimulate and purify the liver, and aid in the production of digestive juices. They are also great at cleansing the body of toxins and can help reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in your body.
They also offer some external benefits: lemons can keep your skin healthy and clear by preventing the formation of wrinkles and acne.
So what are you waiting for? Next time you are at the grocery store, look for lemons that are heavy for their size. This means they have a thinner skin and more meat to them. They should be fully yellow in color with no green, soft or hard patches. They will stay fresh at room temperature for about a week.
This season when you are looking for something warm to drink, treat your body to a simple, healthy cup of lemon water.
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11730
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
Halloween is finally here! Time for the full-on rush of kids in costumes, trick or treating and bags full of candy. It’s been on our radar for a couple weeks, but now it’s time to talk about a real plan for this weekend. It’s going to be difficult managing your own eating habits in the next few days, and even more stressful if you’re going to be dealing with over-excited kids hopped up on sugar.
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Just because you’re eating healthy that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on this season’s popular dishes. There are so many recipes that can work just the way they are or can be tweaked slightly to become healthier versions. Butternut Squash Soup is a classic that just needs a few adjustments. You can use olive oil and soymilk instead of butter, and vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Be sure to include onion, celery, carrot and even a green apple for their added benefits and more flavor.
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
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