Food-Related Healthy Lifestyle Shifts for 2018

There are new food trends and fads  popping up every day.  Some will be fleeting and others will change lives and stick around.  Here are some of my favorite things to look out for, look into, and definitely try this year.

1.  Stress Relief Powered by Plants 🌱-  Using herbs and flowers like lavender, chamomile, hibiscus, lemon balm, and rose to promote relaxation and is anxiety

2.  Probiotic Foods -  Increase your gut health by adding some fermented and cultured ingredients to your diet.  Kefir (potable yogurt), Saurkraut, Kimchi (Korean spicy & garlicky fermented cabbage), Kombucha (fermented tea), sourdough bread, cultured butter, and miso (fermented soy paste) are just a few.

3. More Mushrooms - the scientific studies are stacking up.  More research is showing immune system support, inflammation reduction, and anti cancer properties - fanfare for fungi! Look for maitake, reishi, and lion’s main.

4. Less Waste - at home and on store shelves.  Implementing the idea of nose-to-tail when it comes to animals (Like utilizing “less desirable” cuts, organ meat, and making bone broth) and root-to-stem for veggies (beet green pesto and peeling and chopping broccoli stems to throw in your stir-fry are two examples) Creativity is key here.  Use as much as you can.  It’s good for you and Mother Earth.  

5. Foreign Flavors -  go outside your comfort zone by adding spices from around the world to your dishes at home.  Rubs, sauces, and sprinklings inspired by countries from around the world make cooking and eating a lot more interesting and healthier.  Try new, exotic recipes, taking cues from India, Thailand, Morocco... Travel with your tastebuds! Experiment in the kitchen and you’ll probably surprise yourself.  

A New Angle on “Happiness”

I’ve always enjoyed learning new words and expanding my vocabulary.  I came across a word this week that I think deserves to be discussed.  The word is eudaimonia.  This word is actually a philosophy, another subject of which I'm fan.  I believe, as humans, it's essential to contemplate the BIG questions not necessarily to arrive at definitive answers, but to theorize and construct a personal value system.  It just so happens that this word is very much in alignment with my own. 

What makes you happy?  Does it have to do with social status? Possessions? Professional standing? Relationships? Vices? Power? Do you have no freakin' clue? It's a very personal thing, but as a society, we very well might benefit from quitting our pursuit for this coveted abstract concept.  Yeah, yeah, I know, it's in the Declaration of Independence, but stop and think for a minute…  Maybe our constant search for this elusive state of being is actually preventing us from real freedom.  It's beyond our human capacity to be euphoric all the time, or even most of the time.  What about contentment?  Or a sense of gratitude?    

So what then?  Settle for ho-hum? No.  That's not even close to what I'm suggesting.  I'm proposing to think a bit differently about how you approach and view life.  Back to our Eudemonia.  This term's definition is inspiring.  It's based on the idea of a well-lived life.  An existence in which everyday decisions are determined by what will lead to our well-being.  Practicing individual virtues by taking care of our health, making choices, and resolving conflicts (internal and external) according our belief system are cornerstones of this concept. 

My favorite synonym for eudaimonia is "human flourishing."  Learning, growing, developing, expanding our frame of reference, actively becoming a better version of ourselves, all by simply observing the world around us - experiencing life.  Challenges, failures, successes, reaching goals, setting new ones, building meaningful relationships, finding purpose - all of these evoke a myriad of emotions and feelings of which only a portion is related to joy.  Its about the process of figuring things out.  Seeing what works for you.  It about prosperity.  (In my opinion, Spock was really on to something!)  So instead of harping on what makes you happy, maybe try a new line of questioning.  What is truly important to you?  What fills you with awe?  What gets you excited?  What makes you feel valued? Fulfilled?  Whatever your answers, as much as you possibly can, spend your time and energy on those things.

Why Farmers Markets are Awesome and Why Organic is Worth It

Your mom was so right!  It's so important to eat your vegetables.  Think of food as fuel.  If you give your body the fuel it needs, it repays you with the energy you need to do things like move and think.  Its that simple.  And the higher the quality of that fuel,  the better your body will perform.  So when you choose to eat plant-based meals (packed with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients) vs. a standard American diet (full of highly processed, sugar-laden, chemical laced food-like products) there will be a huge difference in the amount of energy you have and an improvement to your overall mood. 

Two great ways to help incorporate more good-for-you foods into your diet is to cook more meals at home and shop at your local farmer's market.  When it comes to fresh produce, I have a little check list:  local, seasonal, and organic.  They are important to me in that order.  When you shop at a farmer's market instead of a big chain grocery store you'll often be able to check all three.  I understand that it's not everyone's priority to consume the highest quality foods every day.  It's not easy to eat well all the time - or even most of the time - but it is undeniably imperative to maintaining good health.   It's a no-brainer.  Making healthier eating decisions brings an array of physical and mental health benefits.  Another interesting thing to think about is that what you choose to put on your plate has positive effects beyond you as an individual.   It's bigger than that.  When you begin to look at it from a different perspective, you realize that it's all connected.  So with that in mind, I'd just like to communicate a few of the main reasons why farmer's markets are so awesome and why organic really is better.

1.  Easy access to fresh, high quality, better tasting, and more nutrient-dense food

When you choose to buy your produce at a local farmers market you can guarantee that it has spent way less time out of the ground than conventional, mass produced products.  Farm fresh veggies don'ttravel across oceans or even multiple states until they get to your kitchen.  Conventional produce typically travels 12 to 60 times further than local produce and sometimes takes more than a week to reach it's final destination!  Farmers market produce on the other hand, will most likely only have been picked several hours previous to the time it finds its way into to your eco-friendly, reusable bag.

Variety is another advantage.  It's like boutique shopping for food.  As I tell my health coaching clients, "Eat the Rainbow!"  The more colorful your food choices, the more diverse your intake of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  At a farmer's market, there's not just one kind of boring, mass-produced tomato or potato.  If you're looking for iceberg lettuce, you will be sorely disappointed.  You might find 3 or more kinds of lettuce.  Maybe there are also some micro-greens (ooh, fancy) and a couple kinds of kale.  The cool thing is that each of them has its own flavor and you have the ability to be adventurous, to try different kinds of veggies, herbs and spices that you never even knew existed.   Don't be surprised if you come across some beautiful, colorful miracle of nature that you've always wanted to try but never got the opportunity.  Heirloom tomatoes, watermelon radishes, bok choi, fennel, kohlrabi, leeks- or maybe the fresh root version of this turmeric you keep hearing so much about - just to name a few.   Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Farmer's are amazing people.  They are stewards of the Earth and a wealth of knowledge.  Start a conversation. Every edible jewel you see was hand-picked at the peak of ripeness.  It just tastes better.  If you don't believe me, go out and experience the difference yourself.  And don't be fooled by those shiny, uniformly sized apples you find in the grocery store.  Just because it's unblemished and perfectly shaped doesn't mean that it is more delicious! 

2.  Helping to save the Local & Global Environment

Small-scale farms that use organic growing methods maintain enriched, happy soil unlike industrial farming that causes erosion and depletes important nutrients and minerals from the soil over time.  Unhealthy soil = unhealthy plants = unhealthy people.  Typical industrial farming uses pesticides to control the insect population and herbicides to kill weeds.  This leads to chemicals leeching into the earth and nearby water systems.   Monoculture, or farms that only focus on one crop like corn or soy, destroys the natural habitats of native insects and animals while organic farming promotes biodiversity of crops which in turn facilitates a natural and thriving ecosystem.    

And because food needs to travel a ridiculously smaller distance to reach its point of sale, less fuel is used to get the produce into the hands of consumers.  Wrap your brain around this stat:  If every 4-person family in the U.S.  ate just a single meal per week prepared with only locally grown and sold food, 4.5 million less barrels of oil would be needed - that’s 189 million gallons!  In one week!   

3.  Support Healthier and Happier Communities

You're bound to experience more pleasant social interactions and a nicer atmosphere at your local farmers market than the grocery store.   Have you ever seen an angry farmer's market shopper?   There are many more opportunities for learning about nutrition, agriculture and cooking at the farm stand.  Studies have shown that populations with access to a local farmers market are fitter and healthier in general.  

4.  Stimulate Local Economies

Buying local returns much of the sales right back into your own economy.  Stat:  If consumption of local food increases by a mere 5%, $100 million will be pumped back into the region.  Yes, organic produce is more expensive, but here are some economic realities and hidden costs that organic farms are faced with.  These are things that large conventional farms and giant food corporations tend not to lose sleep over due to government subsidizing and incentive programs.  Paying fair wages to all workers, investing in the longevity of a biologically diverse farm, and keeping quality at the highest level possible.  For a good, organic farmer, there's no cutting corners.  Their livelihood depends on the success of each individual crop,  if there is an - insert act of nature here - (new insect pest, invasive weeds, excessive heat, frost, hail, flooding, blight, hungry deer) that ruins an entire field of garlic, that loss has to be made up somewhere else to keep the ledger in the black.  It's a system of checks and balances that is in an eternal ebb and flow.           

5.  Preserve Farmland and the livelihood of farmers

Buying your produce at a local farmer's market or through a nearby CSA supports farmers, their land, and their families.   Being a organic farmer is no easy task.  It's a difficult way of life.  It's more than just showing up with a truck full of beautiful produce.  There are so many steps in between seed to stand.  Preparing the soil for seeds, planting and sowing, watering, fertilizing, weeding, pruning, harvesting, loading, washing, prepping for sale, transporting, unloading, then finally selling, and not just listing a price but being knowledgeable about the product and how to prepare it.   There is so much love, care, forethought and of course there are the extremely long hours of back-braking work.  There aren't big industrial machines that can do the work necessary to care for and raise all the dozens of different varieties of produce that can be found on any given organic farm.   It's a constant struggle of not only the physical labor and finding loyal, reliable workers but having the flexibility to wear all the hats necessary to run a successful modern-day farm.  It takes a very diverse skill set to be equip for the necessary decision-making and creative problem solving that needs to be done every single day.  At any given moment a good organic farmer has to switch gears and become whatever the task at hand demands: Salesman, Master Chef,  General Contractor, Gardening Consultant, Office Manager, Accountant, Social Media guru, Educator, Plumber, Engineer, Tractor Mechanic, Project Manager, and the list goes on.   And lets not forget the multiple fields of science in which the savviest of farmers must be proficient: Botanist, Entomologist - observational skills and critical thinking are invaluable for both handling emergencies and, not repeating mistakes, and planning smarter for the future. Each crop requires a unique set of needs and proper handling to ensure a healthy, thriving product.  This is the polar opposite of monoculture, people.  If you miss harvesting the lettuce because you were to busy paying attention to the tomatoes, it could bolt, go to seed and is no longer a sellable piece of produce.  It's a lot of balls in the air at once.  There's no such thing as a "typical day" on the farm.     

I'd be willing to bet if you take the time to talk to your local organic farmer, you'll find that making a huge profit is not why they are in the business.  When I asked Jennifer what her favorite aspects of the job were money was not something she mentioned.   She and her husband Sean's drive come from a deep love and respect for nature and the land.  The ability to eat really, really great food every day, teaching their 5 year-old daughter, Ginger, the value of a healthy diet, sharing important life skills like how to cook a nutritious meal, breaking bread with family over a meal you lovingly prepared and cultivated yourself from seeds are all the rewards.   An additional benefit of owning, operating, and managing a farm, Jennifer expressed, is teaching others to work the land builds a team spirit, comradery.  It is Inspiring and rewarding when their passion grows and they take their love and skills to start a farm of their own.  

Jennifer and Ginger at Oak Nut Farm in Bethel, PA  ----  "It's a personal choice to be good stewards of the land.  A deep love and appreciation for nature made organic farming the only path to choose." - Jennifer 

 When we shop at large scale grocery stores, we're accustom to food being cheap.  I know these two connected concepts are ones that most people are unwilling to accept, but they are undoubtedly true;  cheaper is hardly ever better, and you get what you pay for.  There's something to be said about value vs quality?  What's it worth to you?  It's one thing to get a "good deal" it's quite another to pay less for an inferior product.  It seems funny when you put it into perspective.  Some people don’t bat an eye dropping $5 a day on a fancy cup of coffee but they refuse to spend a little more per pound for an organic vegetable that was raised and harvested by real humans with care AND it tastes better AND a higher amounts of essential nutrients AND has a much smaller carbon footprint.  Just think about it.  What's really important to you?  What will increase your quality of life?

Your New Favorite Coffee Creamer→

Here's a fun condiment that you can incorporate into your morning beverage routine - my recipe for Coconut Oil Coffee Creamer.

It's great if you're trying to cut down a bit on your added refined sugar intake, but still like a little sweetness in your hot cup of joe!    

Courtney's Coconut Oil Coffee Creamer Ingredients:  Organic Coconut Oil, Raw organic Honey, or 100% Pure Maple Syrup, Ceylon Cinnamon, Cocoa Powder, Pure Vanilla Extract 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Organic Coconut Oil 

• 2 Tablespoons Raw organic Honey or Pure Maple Syrup 

• 1 - 3 teaspoons Ceylon Cinnamon

• 1 -2 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder 

• 1 teaspoonPure Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small mason jar or glass contaner with lid and stir until mixed evenly. 

2. Store at room temperature.

3. Add about one heaping teaspoon to a hot cop of coffee and stir until melted. 

4. Savor the deliciousness.

Ingredient List Profile:

• Organic Coconut Oil 

  • This healthy plant-based fat is not only antiviral and antibacterial (via Lauric Acid)
  • It's easily metabolized in the body, meaning it's absorbed and converted into usable energy for your body and brain
  •  If you're prone to morning snacking, it can help to curb your appitite (Thanks, medium-chain fatty acids!)

• Raw organic Honey (unfiltered, and local if possible) or 100% Pure Maple Syrup 

  • Thought all sweetners should be sonsumed is small amounts, these closer-to-nature alternatives do offer some vitamins, minerals, and even antioxidants that refined sugar lacks. 

• Ceylon Cinnamon

  • Cinnamon has been used as a medicinal spice for the bulk of human civilization and for good reason.  It's got superfood levels of antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, and even helps regulate blood sugar levels just to name a few benefits. 

• Cocoa Powder 

  • Unsweetened Cocoa has notable amounts of essential minerals includind iron. manganese, magnesium, and zinc.  It also containd flavanoids that function as antioxidants.  

• Pure Vanilla Extract

  • Yet another antioxidant.  Fight thoes free redicals!  Vanilla has also been used as a mood booster.

Give this a try!  Let me know what you think.

Courtney's Protein-Packed Super Seed Granola

Latest batch of Granola, deconstructed. (from left to right, top to bottom): oats, walnuts, amaranth, ground flaxseed, nutmeg, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), chia seeds, wheat germ, cardamom, ginger, coconut oil, orange zest, blackstrap molasses, maple syrup. 

I really enjoy making and eating my own granola for a multitude of reasons.  I've listed a few below

1)  Easy to Make

It's easier than you think.  Less than an hour from gathering the ingredients to pulling it out of the oven.  Depending on your batch size and if you decide to share or not, you'll have enough for a week or so.   

2) I Know What's in There  

When it's homemade, you have the ability to hand-pick each and every ingredient with love and care.  Sure, you could buy granola from the store, but chances are that along with the healthy oats and nuts, you'll also be getting a ton of added sugar, less than desirable oils, arificial colors and flavors, and hard to pronounce perservitives to extend shelf-life.

3) So Nutritious! 

Homemade granola is packed full of nutrient-dense good-for-you Vitamins and Minerals that help your body function in tip-top shape.  Plant-based protein, Healthy Fats, Omega-3s, and lots of fiber keep you fuller longer and prevent unnecessary mid-morning snacking.   

4) Quick Breakfast  

Starting your day with a healthy food choice makes you more likely to continue with the smart decision-making trend for the rest of the day.  Combine your granola with some plain yougurt (opt for those with live and active culyured in the 10 and 20B range for optimal probiotic power.  Check out kefir or skyr) and chopped-up fresh fruit to throw on top.  Or eat it like cereal by pouring your favorite kind of milk on top. 

5) Simple Economics

You'll be saving lots of dinero ($$$ Cha-ching!) by purchasing all the wholsome ingredients you need in bulk.  Yes, nuts and seeds are a bit pricy, but in the long-run it will be so much cheaper than buying over-priced, store-bought concoctions.  Plus, instead of only a couple of measly servings, you'll have granola all week!  

6) Be Creative

It's fun to try different variations.  It's nearly impossible to replicate the same batch of granola twice.  The possibilities of ingredient and flavor combos are endless!  If you want to depart from the traditional sweet version, you could even get a little crazy and make it savory by switching up the oil and spices, and omitting the sweetner.  Go a head, be a Granola rebel!   

Here's my go-to, super-flexible framework of a recipe:

Courtney's Granola Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups nuts of your choice, chopped, slivered, or sliced
• 1 - 2 cups seeds (any combo you want: pumpkin, sunflower, ground flax, chia, amaranth,  sesame…)
• 1-2 tsp citrus zest (if you want, lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime)
• 1/2 - 2 tsp spices of your choice (any combo, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric…)
• 1/2 cup sweetener (maple syrup, honey, brown rice syrup, molasses, agave)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup oil (melted coconut, grape seed, olive, canola)
• 1 cup chopped dried fruit - Optional, Add AFTER baking (goji berries, raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots, dates, figs) 

Instructions

• Add all ingredients (except dried fruit) into a big bowl and stir, stir, stir to combine
• Spread out evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet (or two for a bigger batch)
• Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Give it a good stir to prevent burning and then return to the oven for another 15 or 20 minutes, until it's toasty brown smells amazing.

Enjoy!  Feel free to comment with your own granola sucesses and creations in the comments.

Spread the Health!

You Possess The Courage To Evolve

Stepping into the unknown is super scary.  It's much easier to keep things the way they are and cruise through life in neutral.  If you don't take any chances then you won't get hurt, right?  If you don't take the risk, then there's no way for you fail.  On the other hand... If you don't try, you can never truly succeed.   I know, I know, I'm breaking out the Yoda stuff way early, but just contemplate that concept for  a moment.   What if that awful little voice in your head that always tells you can't was muted?  How would you live your life differently if you didn't allow that demon of doubt to get in your way? 

Think back to a really rough time in your life.  Remember?  What was that like for you?  What did you feel like when you woke up in the morning?  And then think about the time right after that slump when things really started to turn around and go right for you.  What made that happen?  Some sort of change -  a new job (or the end of an old one), a new relationship, moving to a new place.  All of these events can cause strife and stress, but they are typically catalysts to bigger, better, and more exciting things.  They all stemmed from a decision - something inside you says "the way things are going right now isn't gonna cut it anymore, and I'm going to do something about it."   The same goes for smaller-scale lifestyle changes. What's on your perpetual to-do list?  Fit into those skinny jeans again.  Make better use of that gym membership.  Hang out with friends more often.  Cook more at home.  Carve out some "me time" everyday.  To accomplish any one of these takes an aspect of adjustment to whatever your current routine may be.  It takes time, innovation, planning and dedication.  You have to want it.     

Committing to change takes courage.  Doing things that take you out of your comfort zone is not easy, but the majority of the time the benefits outweigh any negative effects.  We have a tendency to overestimate how bad things will be.  Worst case scenario, you fail.  Big whup, the most successful people in history also have notorious track records for getting it wrong - a lot.  Trial and error is the best way learn, grow, and improve.  Experiment.  Figure out what works and what doesn't.  Be patient with yourself.  We are all works in progress.  We can only become the most authentic version of ourselves if we evolve.  Be brave.  Be Bold.   Don't be afraid to try something new, be the one to start a conversation, ask for help.  Having a support system and some aspect of accountability is key to being successful and attaining your goals whether they're simple or lofty.  Ultimately, though, you are the author of your own brilliant story.  

Change is only hard before you decide to make it happen.  Once you take that first baby step, the momentum naturally picks up like a snowball down a mountain.  And sure, that snowball may slow down at times or even get stuck once in a while, but the important thing is to keep it moving forward.  Keep your priorities straight.  Know what means the most to you and go after it.  You got this!