Facts About Sugary Soda

You all know how I feel about Bloomberg's soda ban. I'm a supporter and discuss it all here. Soda is bad news and here are a few facts to prove it: 

Source: Everyday Health

Have a happy Monday everyone! 

Make sure to put a little more thought into what you'll be sippin' on today.  

A Closer Look at Sedentarism

Sorry for the false advertising. There really is nothing glamorous about being a couch potato. Looking like the beauty in the picture above is a tall order if your day mainly comprises of sitting down. Besides, forget looks, leading an inactive lifestyle is terrible for your health. 

Some of you may recall my run-ins with sedentarism (Yikes! Effects of Being Sedentary are Beginning to Show!) and how in a matter of weeks I started to pack on the pounds. Who knows what changes were taking place within my body, ones not apparent to the naked eye? 

I am revisiting this topic because new studies show findings that might change how you look at being sedentary:

• As harmful to ones health as smoking
• Prolonged periods of inactivity counteract time spent exercising and despite the sweat session can still negatively impact ones health
• Adverse effects are apparent in as little as 2 weeks

Feeling a little overwhelmed?? DON'T. Find out if your employer would consider providing a standing desk, stand when taking public transportation, take a moment to stretch, and incorporate moving in your free time. If you'll just be a tad more aware you'll find yourself taking steps to sitting and lounging less. 

9 to 5 - School Edition

So maybe it's more like 10am to 4pm now that school is in session but the premise is the same. I need a home packed lunch that is satisfying, delicious, and healthy. I also need to meet these criteria without the luxury of having access to a mini-fridge and microwave as I did when I worked this past summer. No biggie! There are lots of great lunch options that don't need the help of either appliance.  In the instance that something should remain cool a frozen water bottle or ice pack will do the trick. If you're interested in knowing exactly which foods don't need the aid of an ice pack then head on over to "Pack a Safe Lunch".

Details:

Dried Apricots and Hazelnuts

- Several dried apricots and a handful of hazelnuts. You may have noticed that these dried apricots are brown rather than a bright yellowish-orange. This is because this is the organic variety and therefore does not have sulphur dioxide as an additive. I find that without this preservative dried apricots have a more caramel-like flavor and are sweeter.

Applesauce and Blueberries

- Unsweetened applesauce with fresh blueberries. Simple but so good. Having something to chew on when eating my applesauce helps make this snack last longer than 30 seconds and the pop of each blueberry as you bite in adds just the right amount of tartness to the sweet applesauce.

Salad with a Hard Boiled Egg, Cheddar Cheese, and Whole Grain Bread

- Fresh salad with a hard boiled egg, cheddar cheese, and whole grain bread. My simple salad consists of lettuce, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, green peppers, kalamata olives, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Exciting Opportunity!

If you've ever pictured yourself on the Food Network then now may be your chance!

I was recently contacted by a casting agency regarding a brand new show in the works for the Food Network. They are looking for teams of two in the New York area to show Bobby Flay that they are America's best home cook.

If you're interested in participating then act quickly- the deadline to apply is Wednesday, August 22!!

Here's some more info:

I would love to hear from any of you who will be applying and if you happen to make it onto the show and you heard about it here then please let me know as well!! 

Good luck!

Yikes! Effects of Being Sedentary are Beginning to Show!

I started my job a little over a month ago and figured that my good eating habits and exercise regimen would be fine for helping me stay at my pre-job weight despite not getting to move around much at the office. I am currently working in the corporate offices of an outerwear company, where my main responsibility is to take care of the front desk. This involves sitting at the front desk, hours on end. Although I love working there I am happy that this is a job with an expiration date (I am set to leave right before the start of my dietetic internship in mid-August). 

Even though I get to move on from sitting all day, many people don't and find themselves sitting for 40+ hours a week for decades. It's impossible for such a lifestyle to not take a toll on a persons health and waistline. So whether your someone working a desk job longterm or for a short while like me, you need to make a few modifications to counteract being sedentary. In the past five weeks I've put on 5 pounds and have no intention of gaining another five. Clearly, my pre-job routine needs to get tweaked and that is exactly what I plan on doing without going on a fad diet or setting unrealistic goals. I'm going to be kind to my body and let it shed the excess without bullying it into doing it but by taking care of it. 

The first order of business is to recognize that continuing on the same path will result in more weight gain. Then it's important to take steps towards change. Since the only thing that has changed is that I have been moving less, my focus will be on moving more. 

My plan:

- Make over my workouts so that there is more emphasis on strength training. By building lean muscle my body will be able to burn more calories since more calories are needed to build and maintain muscle than fat. 

- Walk more during my commute. Instead of taking the bus to the subway I will leave my house 20 min early and walk. This will have me walking 40 minutes every day if I do this on my way to and from work. 

- Take lunch outside. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've yet to leave the office during lunch (and I work across the street from Bryant Park in NYC!!!). This will be a great way to enjoy the fresh air, stretch out on the grass, and take a nice stroll.

Bryant Park

If you work a job that involves lots of sitting, I'd love to hear your approach to maintaining a healthy weight. Please share! 

Bubbly Vino

What a weekend! Let's get straight to the highlight which made this one of the most memorable weekends- I mean, how often does one get to see Aerosmith in concert?!! They were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Steven Tyler blew me away with his stamina and vocals.

I really can go on and on talking about the concert and how amazing it was (I said that already, didn't I?) but tomorrow is a workday and I need to wind down and take my excitement down a notch. So I'm turning to a little bit of vino to help me out with no intention of getting hammered, or else waking up tomorrow morning will be painful.

All you need is equal parts of white wine and sparkling water (about 3oz each) to make my bubbly vino. It doesn't taste watered down but is a great way to cut back on calories without feeling cheated. A glass of this bubbly with a fresh peach is all I need to mellow out and get back into work mode. Fun is over my friends...oh wait, Independence Day is midweek! Love it when there's something to look forward to. 

Foodie Penpals Reveal Day!

I don't often post on weekends, this might just be my first time, which is fitting since it's also my first time participating in Foodie Penpals! I'll post all the details on how to participate below, but first I'd like to share what I received from my foodie penpal.

Isn't she pretty??

I got matched with a non-blogger, Allison, who is a student at the University of MN. The package she sent me was full of things that I love and other's that I've never tried before. I love the hand written note she including sharing just how much of a busy bee this girl is. She's a biology major with plans of becoming a dentist who also teaches sailing (how cool?!) and is on the sailing team.









Contents:

Coconut flakes. Allison is a mind reader. Literally, a few days before I received my package I realized that the bag of coconut flakes in my cupboard went bad and had to be thrown away.

Raw macadamia butter. This is the first thing that I ate after opening the box. I spread it on a waffle and drizzled a little bit of honey. It was soooo good. I loved the creamy yet crunchy consistency. It has such a rich taste and mouthfeel. Definitely plan on getting some more of this.

Green superfood (berry flavor). I've always wanted to try these green powders that can be added to water. I'm definitely happy that Allison sent this to me, to finally quench my curiosity, but I wasn't a huge fan of this item. It didn't have a strong berry flavor and remained powdery even after being mixed with water. Maybe my ratio of this powder to water wasn't right. I'm tempted to buy another packet and give it another shot.

Dried papaya spears. Yum! My grandparents came over and I served this with some tea and it quickly disappeared. Was sad to see it go. Was interesting to see how dried papaya tastes nothing like fresh papaya.

Strawberry snack pouch. This pouch was made by Allison to be used for snacks on the go. So great since it can be washed and used again. Love!!

Savi Seed (Karmalized). I've never heard of Sacha Inchi seeds but according to the packaging these seeds are a great source of omega 3 ("13 times more than wild salmon!"), vitamin E, fiber, and tryptophan. These seeds were covered in cane sugar to give them some sweetness. It was really good!

I am so happy to have taken part in this program this month. Unfortunately, I won't be able to participate next month but have plans to get back into it the following month! Not only is it a fun way to try something new but there's that element of surprise that makes it that much more exciting. It was super great for me since this box came in on the day of my birthday. Allison, if you're reading this, are you psychic??? A) you sent it so that I'd get it on my birthday and B) you knew that I was in need of some coconut flakes! :)

If you want to participate, here's how:

- Head on over to The Lean Green Bean to fill out a form that literally take 1min to complete. Then after getting matched with a penpal you have until the 15th of the month to send out your goodies ($15 spending limit). The skies the limit in terms of what you can send. Feel free to buy it or make it, just touch base with your penpal to check out if they have any dietary restrictions.

- The last day of the month is reveal day and you're welcome to post about all of the great things that you've received from your foodie penpal.


I want to thank Allison for sending me such a great box of goodies and of course Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean, for making this happen. Thanks!